


Prisoner of War (Teen!AU)

by Dragonsong3



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Biphobia, Character Death, Everybody Lives, Everyone Has Issues, Feral Behavior, First Love, Homophobic Language, Horny Teenagers, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Men Crying, Minor Violence, Oh wait they're dead, Orphans, Unrequited Love, Who's parenting these children??, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-06-04 17:14:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6667402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonsong3/pseuds/Dragonsong3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a tragic accident, 17-year old Arin Hanson moves to a dark, crime-ridden town outside his home State. Two gangs in his High school claim ownership of it, and are constantly fighting out of spite and territorial rights- Many ending in Hospital attention, or worse, death.<br/>Arin becomes good friends with one of the gang's leader, Ross, but is unsettled by his violent hatred for the other gang's leader- Dan Avidan, who's not a stranger to Arin at all…</p><p>Arin is overjoyed to be with his first Love again after 5 years of separation, only to realise that Dan's life is still in danger, and could disappear from him again at any moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

"What did the Principle say to you, Arin…?"

 

Arin kept his gaze on matt, dirty floor. He sat down on an uncomfortable plastic chair, aware of the presence of somebody next to him. The corridor was eerily quiet, except for the deep pounding of Arin's heart in his chest.

 

"He said he's going to ring my Mom about all the bullying that's going on…" He mumbled with a sniff. He gently rubbed his bruised jaw, where he was punched in the face. "I don't know why he's bothering to do it _now_ though. I just got punched; I've dealt with worse and he didn't do anything about it."

 

The boy beside him nodded, staring up at the ceiling. Arin glanced at him, and his heart twisted when he saw the state of him- The cheap tissues pressed against his nose and mouth were bloodied and almost dripping, his left eye was swollen and purple, every so often he would swallow the blood from his split mouth, and he twitched with pain every time he moved in his chair.

 

"By the way, Danny, thanks for helping me out. Again." Arin said, his stomach fluttering uncomfortably. "The way you fight is amazing. I didn't think you could beat off somebody a grade above you!"

 

"Yeah, he did put up a fight, I can give him that." Dan's good eye sparkled with amusement. "But _he's_ still in the Nurse's Office, apparently he can barely sit up without getting dizzy."

 

Arin gave a soft purr as he gazed at his friend. Ever since he started 7th Grade a few months back, Dan had been nothing but a kind and loyal friend to him, even though Dan was in the grade above. The sweet, funny side to Dan which he knew and saw made his stomach flutter in a way he ever thought a boy- Or even a girl- would make him feel. Even In the beaten state he was in, he still made Arin's heart ram in his chest.

 

"But what's going to happen to you?" Arin asked, catching the anxious glimmer in Dan's warm, hazel eyes.

 

"Well, you know what the Principle said last time…" He shrugged, not looking up at Arin. "He's going to expel me for sure, and even if he doesn't, my parents will probably force me to change schools or something."

 

"No, they can't do that!" Arin exclaimed, staring at Dan as if he was going to leave immediately. "The fight wasn't your fault, you were just sticking up for me."

 

Shaking his head, Dan clenched his narrow jaw.

 

"My parents say I have behaviour issues, and I'm beginning to think they're right." He sighed. His mouth curled into a small snarl, only to drop it moments later. "I _swear_ I can't help it; I just get too angry all the time. They say they want to help me, but do they do anything? No! I don't want to leave this school." He glanced up at Arin, his eyes glimmering with misery. "and I don't want to leave _you_ , Arin."

 

Emotions clutched Arin's chest like a talon. He didn't want Dan to leave him, either. He wanted him to stay. He opened his mouth to speak, but his throat was too tight for words. A door squeaked open behind him, and as he turned he saw the Principle of his school stand beside him. He immediately stared back down at the ground, but could feel the heat as Dan and the Principle glared at each other.

 

"Arin, what are you still doing here? It's home time now." The Principle said, his voice slow and firm. He seemed to know _exactly_ why Arin was still with Dan. Before Arin could speak, he was interrupted. "Dan, I'll have a word with you now."

 

Without hesitation, Dan stood up from his chair. Before he walked into the Office behind the Principle, Arin whispered,

 

"Whatever happens, Dan. I'll always be your friend..."

 

Dan either couldn't hear him, or he just ignored him. He continued walking into the office, his head held high and proud as if nothing had happened to him. Within seconds, the door slammed shut and the corridor was left in silence again.

His legs heavy with despair, Arin stood up and slowly dragged himself down the hall. What happened next was not up to him….

 

 

\---

_'Oh no, no, no!'_

 

The first school bell on the year rang across the school corridors. Students rushed and shoved their way through the crowds to get to their lessons.

Within moments, the halls were almost empty and left a couple people behind.

 

A Junior student, his dark amber eyes widened with panic, squeezed a fistful of his brown hair, _'Where the fuck am I supposed to be? I seriously can't be late for my first class!'_

 

His heart thumped nervously in his chest, knowing that class must have already started. The corridor seemed to stretch longer than he could see. His vision blurred painfully. Staring around wildly, he searched for something- _anything_ \- that could help him.

 

_'Oh God, no…'_

 

"Hey, you!"

 

A light Australian accent made him jump. He whirled around, and saw a light-russet haired boy watching him from a few meters away. His dark blue shirt was tucked out of his black trousers, and his white bachpack hung on his limp shoulders.

 

"Are you lost?" The boy asked, barely suppressing a smirk of amusement. The boy then blinked at him, fully opening his half-hooded eyes. "Wait, you weren't at this school last year- Are you new?"

 

"Yeah- For both your questions." He admitted. His skin burnt with embarrassment, but his desperation outweighed his pride. "I need to get to my Art class, with a teacher called Mr Miller. Do you know where it is?"

 

The boy's face lit up, "Oh hey, you're in the same class as me. Just follow me." He nudged his head towards the end of the corridor as he began walking. "I'm Ross, by the way."

 

"Thanks. My name's Arin." He followed after Ross, critically aware of the time passing. "We're not going to get yelled at for being late, are we?"

 

"I don't think I've heard Mr Miller yell at anyone since I started this High school." Ross purred with a shrug, almost making the straps of his bag slip off. "We'll be fine, don't worry. Anyway, he's always soft with new people like you."

 

 

Minutes later, Ross lead Arin to a door with the sign _'Art- 03'_ marked on. The room was almost full, but had a peaceful, happy hum of student's talking amongst their friends.  A teacher sat at the front of the class, typing on a laptop on his desk. He glanced over at Ross and Arin, and gave a small nod to them both.

 

"Good to see you've made it to at least one of my lessons, Ross." The teacher said, his voice light with humour. "I suppose you're late because you were showing this new student where to go? You may as well sit down if you're going to stay."

 

"I actually _was_ , Mr Miller," Ross said with a smile, as they walked over and both placed their bags on a long table next to the large windows. Ross glanced behind his shoulder at Mr Miller. "I honestly have _no_ idea why you'd think I wasn't a nice student like that."

 

The sarcastic, yet calm, conversation between the student and the teacher made Arin sigh In relief. Nobody else had noticed that he and Ross were late, and Mr Miller's kind reaction to it soothed his restless heartbeat,

 

 _'It's probably not so bad here.'_ He told himself, unzipping his bag and bringing out his pencil case. _'I've been here for 10 minutes and it's already better than my last Highschool…'_

 

A flash of movement distracted Arin from his thoughts. He turned to the window and saw two students- barely a year older than he was- strut across the school field, both of them with a grin on their faces. Although they were more than a couple yards away, Arin could just hear their laughter and the sound of their voices.

 

He watched the tallest one of the two; The boy's wavy, lengthy hair bristled in the breeze, and his warm eyes glimmered with excitement. Whatever those two were doing, they were obviously enjoying themselves.

The boy's dark navy-coloured jeans were ripped and torn, but his black leather jacket, which was zipped open and exposed his white cotton shirt, was smooth and neat.

 

 _'I wonder where those two are going…'_ He thought to himself, unable to hear a voice in the background behind him.

 

The tall boy looked up towards the window, and saw Arin watching him. Arin froze, unable to look away from the stranger, and finally noticed the long, pinkish scar running down the side of his face.

 

_'Wait, I'm sure I know him from somewhere!'_

 

The two gazed at each other for a heartbeat, until the stranger gave a small nod and a smile, before continuing his walk beside his friend.

 

"…Arin, are you listening?"

 

Arin tore his gaze off the window, and realised that Ross was talking to him.

 

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" He asked, softly scratching the back of his neck.

 

"Mr Miller asked for your last name." Ross sighed, his tone perked with irritation, shaking his head before unzipping his bag..

 

"Oh, right." Arin turned to his teacher, who was looking at him patiently. "Sorry, it's Hanson. Arin Hanson."

 

Mr Miller nodded and scribbled the name on a notebook, then turned back to his laptop of work. Arin quickly glanced out the window again, and his chest was struck with a jab of disappointment when the tall boy had gone.

 

"What were you even looking at?" Ross asked, the brief look of annoyance on his face had vanished, and he still lazily rummaged through his bag. "The field around this school isn't very interesting, unless you go towards the back where a lot of students take drugs, and also some weird isolation unit or something…"

 

"I wasn't looking at anything." Arin murmured, "I just saw two people walking around, that's all."

 

"Oh, really?" Ross' blue eyes sparked with curiosity, but his voice remained neutral. "Well, what did they look like?"

 

"Oh, well…" Arin looked upwards in thought. The taller boy was ingrained into his memory, but the other boy was harder to remember. "The taller one had dark, shoulder-length hair- very _frizzy_ hair, at that, and-"

 

"Was he wearing a black leather jacket? And had a scar on his face?" Ross questioned suddenly, interrupting Arin.

 

"Yeah, he was." He slowly nodded, slightly taken back by the urgent edge in Ross' question.

 

"And the other one; Shorter, black hair, and wearing the same jacket?"

 

"Yeah, I think so. How did you know? Do you know them?" Arin tipped his head to the side, as Ross narrowed his eyes and grunted. Perhaps if Arin knew the boy's name, he could fully remember him.

 

"Oh, I know them all too well." He growled, folding his arms across his chest. "Dan and Brian- Two of the most arrogant, sociopathic assholes I've ever met. Word of advice, since you're new and all, I'd stay away from them."

 

" _Dan?_ " He echoed. His mind whirled, back to when he was younger; His best friend, Dan Avidan, who got expelled from their Middle School. Was that the same boy? He was still alive?

 

_'But he's dead! Mom said he was never coming out of Hospital!'_

 

"You've heard of him, then?" He growled, "I wouldn't be surprised; They've killed people, and I've _seen_ them do it."

 

"Wait- They have?" Arin widened his eyes in shock. An image of his 13-year-old friend flashed in front of him, bloodied and shaking; He knew how to fight back aggressively, and didn't care about breaking any laws and rules… But did he have it inside of him to kill someone? Arin's stomach flipped as he shuddered with horror.

 

"Yeah, it's a long story. One you probably don't want to hear, from the looks of it."

 

Arin shook his head, his mind whirled inside his head. His skin pricked all over his body. After 5 years of thinking he was dead, his best friend- The person he missed and loved more than anything- was alive the whole time, and worse, he became even more violent?

 

"…But I _will_ say that he did this," Ross gently pushed up the left side of his mouth. A large gap, where a canine tooth should be, was visible. Up close, Arin could just see a white, healed scar on the underside of Ross' cheek, and light scabs and bruises on his right hand. How many times has Ross been caught in a fight? "His punch is stronger than you'd think. Also, look out for his kick- _Never_ fails to wind you- but if you're in trouble then aim for his chest…"

 

As Ross listed off his violent encounters, Arin's mind drifted. He stared back out the window, watching the school field. His torso tightened like a coil.

 

 _'I have to find him again.'_ He thought to himself, lifting his gaze from the field until he caught the faint mountains in the distance. _'I don't care what I have to do, I just want Dan to be alive again…'_

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Rain pelted the roads and pavement. The spit of rain echoed throughout the neighbourhood, only being interrupted by the low moan of a police siren or a growl of thunder. The ground was completely covered in a thin sheet of water, constantly rippling and sprinkling. The musky scent of wet grass and leaves filled the air.

A flash of lightning made Arin jump. His heartbeat skipped after every flash and roar, and irritation began to bubble inside him.

 

"Stop being a fucking pussy, damn it…" He growled to himself, shivering from the damp cold. "Of course my shift had to finish in the middle a storm. Of- _fucking_ \- course…"

 

Yet part of him was grateful that his workshift was over; Exhaustion burnt his muscles to the point where Arin could barely walk, and each step made him want to screech in agony.

 He hugged a paper bag with milk inside close to his chest, protectively holding it underneath the centre of his umbrella. As soon as he saw his flat in sight and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't too far from the old, battered bus shelter a couple meters infront of him.

A shadow of a figure moved inside it. Arin halted immediately. The back of his neck bristled as he warily continued forward.

 

_'Oh God, please tell me he's just waiting for his bus…'_ He pleaded silently. His heart pounding inside his chest, as his mind whirled with stories of people getting mugged and murdered in his neighbourhood. _'I couldn't run away from somebody if I tried, oh God please…'_

 

Without looking away from the stranger, he stepped onto the road and prepared to walk on the other side of the road. Another streak of lightning lit up the street, and for a heartbeat Arin saw the figure standing in the shelter; It only took that split second to recognise him.

 

_'Holy shit, Dan?'_ He tried to call out to him, but the words were stuck in his throat. In the same moment, Dan looked up at Arin,

 

"Hey, you." He called, his voice hoarse and tired, as if he was just as miserable as Arin in the rain. "You don't know when the next bus is into the Centre is, do you?"

 

"I'm sorry, but the next bus out of here isn't until tomorrow." Arin said. A pang of sympathy shot through him, despite being on edge after what Ross told him. He didn't- He _couldn't-_ believe that Dan was a murderer, but could things have changed after 5 years…?

 

Dan sighed and slumped his shivering shoulders. His arms were wrapped tightly across his chest, and the front of his white shirt clung to his skinny chest. He wildly darted his eyes around, almost constantly.

 

_'What's up with him? He's not scared of thunder, too, is he?'_ Arin stared at him, unblinking. _'Can't he recognise me…?'_

 

"How far do you have to walk?" Arin asked. He took a hesitating step forward towards Dan, before walking into the bus shelter beside him. Dan stared at him, his brown eyes wide with bewilderment, but said nothing. Instead, his body softened and he shrugged.

 

"It's not actually that far, but I hate walking in the rain," He explained. He quickly brushed his long hair out of the side of his face and continued, "My hair goes crazy when it's wet, and it's hard to see through it."

 

"You do know this rain is supposed to last the entire night, don't you?" He asked, tipping his head to the side.

 

Dan gave a quiet, anxious grunt and he stared at the ground. Thunder clapped through the air and he flinched, tightening the grip around his chest as his body shook. Lightning cracked across the tar-black clouds, and Arin saw the glimmer of distress in Dan's eyes.

 

_'He's probably shaking from the cold, but God knows why he's so frightened…'_ Arin thought to himself. The sociopathic, murderous gang leader that Ross described seemed to be a complete different person from what Arin saw. _'I guess he just wants to get home…'_

 

"Here, why not use my umbrella?" Arin suggested, unable to bring himself to just leave Dan without doing anything.

 

Dan stared at him, his eyes stretched wide. He opened his mouth, but then slowly closed it. He glanced down at the umbrella, and then back at Arin.

 

"You mean it?" He questioned after his pause and blinked in surprise. "What about you, though?"

 

"Oh, I'll be fine, really." Arin smiled. Dan's gaze made him feel warm under his clothes. "My apartment is only down the road, so It's not far for me."

 

Dan stayed still for a brief moment, before slowly taking it out of Arin's hand. He was silent for another long moment, gazing at the slightly shorter boy, and another roar of thunder crashed before he spoke again,

 

"I can hardly see you but you… You look familiar. I think I've seen you before." He murmured, narrowing his dark brown eyes. Arin's heart rammed in his chest. "You're not in Ross' gang, are you?" He asked, taking a step back away from Arin, as if he was about to get attacked. Frustration rose up from Arin's chest.

 

"What? No! Dan, can’t you recognise me?" His voice jittered after he spoke Dan's name for the first time in 5 years. A flash of lightning lit up the area, and for the first time Dan could see light on Arin's face.

 

"A- _Arin?_ " He gasped with wide eyes. His voice barely auditable over the rain and Arin's sharp heartbeat. "Is… Is that actually _you?_ I thought I'd never see you again! What are you doing out of California?"

 

"I moved about a month ago." Arin said. Something clutched his stomach in a tight, nauseous grip. "I.. I thought you were dead, Dan. I heard you were really ill, and then I never heard anything again and…" Dan's soft gaze made his words drift off. "…And now you're here."

 

"You were the one I saw this morning, weren't you? You know, the guy in that classroom just after school started?" Dan slowly nodded in thought, "I thought you were somebody I knew, but I could hardly see you. If I realised it was you…" His words trailed off, but his gaze gleamed with joy and affection. His face was narrower then when he was younger, and his shoulders were broad and strong. In the vague, dim streetlights, Arin could just see the pinkish outline of a scar running down the side of Dan's face, bridging over his right eye.

 

_'He still looks as handsome as ever…'_ Arin realised. He opened his eyes to speak, but was interrupted by a flash of lightning. In the same heartbeat, Dan looked away from Arin, his eyes wide in fear.

 

"I-I have to go." He said, staring out at the mist of rain. Before he left the bus shelter, he turned back to Arin, with a voice thick with sorrow and guilt. "I'm sorry. I'll see you later, and I promise I'll give you your umbrella back."

 

Before Arin could reply, Dan sprinted out into the rain and the thick splashes of puddles eventually silenced into nothing. He stood frozen to the ground, desperately trying to comprehend what had just happened; for the first time in 5 years, he had been able to talk to his best friend, but he left with barely a sentence said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\---

 

Arin entered his apartment with a cold shake. Rain dripped from his hair as he slammed the wooden door behind him. He quickly shook his damp shoes off beside the door and switched on the light.

The sudden slightly made Arin flinch away, and he narrowed his eyes until he could get used to the light.

 

"I really need to get a lampshade at some point…" He muttered to himself.

 

Tucked under his hand was a thick envelope that was left by his door. Knowing exactly who it was from, he quickly opened it up and pulled out an letter with the words _'Dear Arin'_ in small handwriting.

 

_'Dear Arin,_

_Hope you're settling in the city alright. Moving away is a big step for such a young boy, especially by yourself. It's too bad your parents aren't here to help you, but I'm positive they'd be just as proud as I am._

_You'll be nice and comfy in your new home soon enough, and I know you're busy in school and work, so I sent you $150- Think of it as an early birthday present, and a house warming gift._

_-Lots of love, Grandma._

 

Arin felt a prick in his chest when the letter mentioned his parents. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and carefully placed the envelop in a squeaky drawer underneath the small counter. He had to save it until later.

 

"Thanks, Grandma." Arin murmured, feeling greatly comforted that at least one member of his family was still looking out for him.

 

He looked out the window above the sink, and listened to the pitter-patter of rain on the glass. Thunder and lightning were beginning to sound quieter and less frequent, and Arin realised that the storm would slowly mellow out into normal rain.

 

_'I hope Dan is ok out there…'_ He thought to himself, remembering Dan's image as if he was still next to him. _'Yeah, I'll see him tomorrow, probably.'_

 

He continued to watch the rain fall, with Dan's smile permanently stuck in his mind.   

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK I promise updates will be weekly, and not fortnightly.

Despite his short rest, Arin's body was still stiff the next morning. He lent against the lockers and slowly stretched his arm over his back with a grunt.

 

 _'For God's sake, Ross, how long will you take?'_ He thought irritably, glancing at the door to the boy's toilets. Rubbing his aching arm, he gave a small sigh.

 

Students grouped together and strolled up and down the corridor, most of them looking much more cheerful than Arin felt. The air was filled with mindless chatter and clangs of locker's opening and closing.

Movement flickered in the corner of Arin's eye, and as he turned to face it, he saw a dark-haired boy he had never met before walking over to him. The boy was dressed in mostly black, similar to what Dan and Brian were wearing the day before, but with a light blue shirt. His face was slightly rounded but with a square-ish jaw with light facial hair, and his blue eyes glistened in the lighting.

If he wasn't just under Arin's height, he would have assumed the boy was much younger than he actually was.

 

"Hi, are you Arin Hanson?" The boy asked, stopping beside Arin.

 

"Yeah, why?" Arin replied, his voice rougher than he intended. Coughing, he rubbed his throat and hoped that the hoarseness eased up a bit. "Who are you?"

 

Instead of replying, the boy simply handed Arin a long object in his hand. Arin looked down and realised that the boy was returning his umbrella. He blinked in confusion. Why was this boy was the one giving it back?

 

"Dan told me to give it back to you." The boy explained, as if he could tell what Arin was thinking. "Also he told me to explain-"

 

" _Barry?_ "

 

Ross' voice made Arin turn around. Ross' eyes were stretched wide with surprise as he stood beside Arin,

 

"You hardly ever come down this end of the school, what are you doing?"

 

Barry stared back with equal surprise. His mouth was half open, intending to reply, but he was silent for another couple of moments.

 

"I… I was just…" Barry could hardly get his words out. He swallowed nervously, and then continued in a chilly voice, "Dan told me to give something back to Arin- You know Dan, right? The one who you hate so much that you suddenly started hating everyone he was friends with?"

 

"You know _exactly_ why I don't like him," Ross said back through a clenched jaw, his body stiffened with anger. " And I _never_ said I hated you, Barry!"

 

"Could have fooled me, Ross." Barry growled in a low voice. Without waiting for another reply, he spun around was walked away with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

 

Arin glanced at Ross, who was breathing deeply through his nose. He kept a hold of his shoulder strap on his bag with a tight, stressed grip, and his jaw was clenched to the point where it must have hurt.

 

"Ross, are you-"

 

"Fucking moron…" Ross slowly shook his head, his voice quiet and wispy. "He's going to end up dead if he's not careful…"

 

"Ross…?" He couldn't have been talking to Arin directly, but his sudden change from fury to sorrow worried him. "Are you alright?"

 

"Yeah, fine." Ross murmured. He turned back to Arin with a hardened gaze, as if he was determined to not look upset. "What class do you have next?"

 

"History."

 

"Do you _actually_ want to go, though?" Ross asked with a shrug. "Come on, Arin. It's not as if you're going to learn anything, it's mostly just getting to know your classmates, and you're going to know them well enough by the end of the year."

 

"Dude, are you saying we should leave school? We've barely been here for a few hours!" Arin took a swift look around, hoping that a teacher walking by didn't hear them. He continued with a softer voice, "We'll get into trouble."

 

"Don't worry, we'll be back before Lunch." Ross insisted, his eyes brightening again. "I wouldn't get you into trouble like that, we'll be fine."

 

Arin gently chewed his lip in thought. Surely he could skip just _one_ class, especially if it made Ross happy after what just happened? He sighed to himself before nodding his head.

 

"Alright then, let's go." He said. Ross grinned and began walking down the corridor, Arin following by his side.

 

 _'It'll be fine.'_ He repeatedly told himself, desperately trying to sooth the knot in his stomach. _'Even if they do learn anything, I'll just ask one of them to help me on Thursday.'_

 

 

 

\--

 

"So why did Dan have your umbrella in the first place?" Ross questioned. The two were walking down the side of a littered street, ignoring the mumbling people that also ambled around.

 

"Oh, I don't know…" Arin quickly tried to make up a lie. He glanced to the side and swallowed down his tight throat. "I guess I just dropped it somewhere and he picked it up, something like that."

 

"Hah, unlikely." Ross grunted, raising his eyebrow at Arin. "Dan would probably never give something back if he knew it belonged to someone else- Stealing is one of his favourite hobbies, I think. Probably, anyway…"

 

Arin's mind flashed back to the night before, and clearly saw the kind image of Dan in his head. From his sweet smile, Arin found it hard to believe that Dan was as bad as Ross made him out to be. Yet he knew that Ross wouldn't take it too well if he knew that Arin gave him his umbrella,

 

"Well then, I don't know." Arin shrugged. He tried to think of a change of topic. "But what about you and Barry? What happened between you two?"

 

"Nothing happened." He replied, his voice mild and natural. He held Arin's stare. "Arin, if you're going to lie to me about the umbrella-thing, then I'm going to lie too."

 

Arin almost decided to give up on his question, but curiosity burned up inside him. It was obvious that Ross and Barry had something before they stopped being friendly, and something inside Arin desperately wanted to know.

 

"Fine, I'll tell you." He said. "You'd probably find out anyway. Last night I was walking home from my work shift and it was pouring with rain. It was horrible. Then I saw Dan taking shelter and he said he hated walking in the rain, and so-"

 

"Wait, he was _alone?_ " Ross interrupted, leaning closer to Arin. "There was nobody else there with him?"

 

"No, I didn't see anybody with him…" Arin said, startled by Ross' sudden interjection. "Why is does that matter?"

 

"Oh, no, it doesn't. It's not important," Ross shook his head with a dismissive hand flick, "Anyway, sorry, continue with what you were saying."

 

"…Alright then. So yeah, I offered my umbrella to him so he could actually walk in the rain without getting his hair wet- He said it was hard to see through wet hair, apparently- and he promised to give it back, and so he did." Arin finished his story with a shrug. He decided not to tell Ross about his history with Dan. He cautiously turned to Ross, and waited for his reaction.

 

He stared up at the cloudy sky, his eyes narrowed with thought. Arin waited nervously, unsure whether his new friend would be angry or not.

 

"It's strange that Dan was alone, though. He's almost never alone." Ross muttered, mostly to himself. "What street were you on?"

 

"What?" Arin stared at Ross in confusion. What was so strange about somebody being alone? Why did it matter so much?

 

"I asked which street you were on." Ross repeated in a slower voice, obviously missing what Arin was confused about.

 

"New Buxton Road, I think…" Arin said. Ross gave a simple nod and lifted his head back up.

 

"Great, I'll keep note of that. Anyway, I suppose I should keep my end of the promise and tell you about Barry and I; If you're going to get involved in the drama in this school, you may as well know the backstory." He shifted his shoulders, making his bag rustle. "Barry and I have been best friends since I moved from Australia about 10 years ago. We lived in the same neighbourhood, went to the same schools, went to each other's houses almost every day, played every video game we owned together, you know the stuff. We were always together, but then…"

 

He sighed and harshly kicked an empty beer can out of his way.

 

"But then, two years ago, he started hanging out with Dan, and he pretty much stopped talking to me." His voice quieted until it was a strained murmer. "He eventually joined Dan's gang, even though he knew that I was in a completely different gang- It's basically my _job_ to fight any member of Dan's gang, especially if they were on our part of the city. Do you have any idea how distracting it is knowing Barry could get killed at any point during a gang fight, or literally any other time? Sure, he's stronger than he looks and I don't think he's _ever_ lost a fight, but I can't stand the thought of him getting hurt, even if we don't speak now."

 

Arin stared at him, unsure what to say. His chest panged in sympathy for Ross, realising how much Barry still means to him.

 

"Do people actually _die_ in these fights?" Arin asked, his stomach burning over how brutal some people could be.

 

"Sometimes they do- It depends who's fighting who, usually. Some will just leave you with a few bruises to remember them by, but others won't stop until one of you can't go on. The guy you saw with Dan yesterday, Brian, now _he_ can fight. He's brutal, I tell you. Both him _and_ Dan are." Ross shuddered, as if he was reliving a tragic memory. "I don't want to explain it all, but you probably don't want to hear the details."

 

Arin shook his head, relieved that Ross didn't continue. He didn't _want_ to get involved in anything, he just wanted to be with Dan again. He glanced up at Ross who was staring at the ground, his eyes half-glazed and clouded. He blinked, desperately trying to think of something to say. However, before he could speak, a loud, ringing noise filled the air. It came from a building half-way down the block, and a van emerged from an alley way as it screeched down the road.

 

"Oh shit, I think a store's getting robbed." He pulled on Arin's sleeve and briskly walked back up the street. "Come on, we don't want to be here when the cops come."

 

"Wait, shouldn't we call them first?" Arin asked, watching the store from over his shoulder.

 

"Hah, yeah, because I'm going to make it easier for them to arrest me- No thanks." He retorted, letting go of Arin. He didn't reply as he hurried beside Ross, and desperately pushed down the wave of dread sitting inside him as the sirens echoed through the air.

 

"This place is worse than I thought…" He murmured under his breath. He turned his head when Ross unexpectedly hummed in agreement.

 

"Glad you caught that on quickly, but you'll be glad to know that crime rates had dropped since 5 years ago. Probably doesn't mean much to you, considering you weren't here, but it's something." He rubbed the back of his neck as he sharply turned down a wide alley way. "Anyway, come down here. I know a place we can hide."

 

Suppressing a cold chill, Arin looked behind his back one last time before following Ross down the alley. He had done nothing wrong, or at least _illegal_ , yet why did he feel so guilty? Further in the alley, a tall wooden crate sat against the brick wall of a run-down, red-splotched building. Ross pulled the crate to the side with a grunt, revealing a man-made hole just big enough for someone their size to squeeze in and out.

Ross peered inside the dark hole. After several long moments of glancing from side to side, he pushed himself through with the fabric of his clothes scraping the awkward corners of brick sticking out. Arin hesitated, stiffening as he stared into the darkness.

 

"Come on, Arin! It's not that dangerous in here!"

 

Biting back a sarcastic remark, Arin held his breath as he shifted his way inside. Bits of red brick scraped off onto his clothing and dug into his sides. Once he was free, he scanned the building. His vision slowly adjusted to the darker light, which came through from the outside through the broken windows and the broken patches on the roof.. The floor was littered with junk and murky puddles. Crates and boxes were stacked together, serving as make-shift tables. The clatter of a beer can being kicked around rattled the air, and their light footsteps echoed off the paint-peeled, ivy-covered walls.

 

"Woah, was this place a Warehouse or something?"

 

"Yep, we sometimes hold parties here, if you couldn't guess." Ross said, pushing a half-full trash bag out of his way with his foot. "Cops can't really see or hear what's going on in here- Oh, I wouldn't touch that stain."

 

Arin froze and looked down at the ground. He held his foot in mid-air, before stepping to the side to avoid a dark brown stain on the ground. Before he could gag, he gaped at the broken ceiling again. Large patches of light were broken away in the centre, leaving a chilling spotlight in the middle of the building.

 

"So… Why don't you like Barry anymore? Is it just because he's friends with Dan?"

 

Ross stared silently at Arin, blinking in surprise and puzzlement. He wriggled in his dark ginger jacket before answering.

 

"Well, yeah- I mean, I don't _hate_ him, in a way. I just…" Shaking his head, he didn't look at Arin as he continued. "I have reasons to not like Dan, ok? And Barry made his choice over who he wants to be with."

 

"Can't someone be friends with both of you?" Arin was acutely aware of the uncomfortable churning inside him. He forced his voice to call clearly, and not squeak like a nervous child. "I don't understand everything that happens in this City- nor do I really want to- but I wouldn't want to give up on a friend just because they like someone else."

 

Arin clenched his body to stop himself from shaking. It all seemed too real; despite only knowing Ross for a short time, he was the first friend Arin made in this new school, and he didn't want his associations with Dan to mess it up.

 

_'Even with his strange obsession with Dan, Ross is still a pretty friendly guy, and we already have things in common…'_

 

Ross gave a defeated sigh, while hanging his head low, like a teddy who lost most of its stuffing.

 

"Maybe you're right, but it's all so complicated." He sat down on a wooden crate, his shoulders slumped and his back arched until he staring at the ceiling. "Either way, once your friendships get mixed up, it only goes downhill from there."

 

Arin didn't say anything as he sat down beside Ross, watching the sky. The world around him began to fade into a mist as he focused on his whirling thoughts. Was Ross right? Could he only be loyal to one friend at a time? What could happen if he was with Dan? Does Dan have the same attitude towards Ross? Would he be angry if he knew Arin was friends with Ross?

 

 _'Is something bad just around the corner?'_ He wondered, swallowing past the hard lump in his throat. _'Will I have to choose between the two of them? Who would I even pick?'_

 

He blinked, realising it was a question he wasn't sure he could answer.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did I choose writing as a hobby why didn't I get into drugs like normal teenagers???

Arin knocked on the classroom door. He glanced at the time, and it was exactly 10:00am. His first class was over, but now his first tutoring session for physics was about to start. He wasn't told exactly who his tutor was except that he was a Senior student instead of a teacher, who were too busy with their own classes.

 

"Is that you, Arin? Come in." The voice called from the other side of the door. Arin opened the door and stepped in. A dark-haired boy sat on one of the desks, and he didn't look up at Arin as he focused on his book.

 

"Hey. Sorry, I don't know your name. I'm guessing the Principle told you my mine?" Arin asked. As he shut the door behind him, the boy finally glanced up at him. A wave of surprise hit Arin when he recognised him. "Wait, you're not… Are you Brian?"

 

"So you do know my name, then." He replied. He pushed his book into his bag, then brought out a different one. A textbook, this time. "And no, Dan told me your name. From the way he reacted when I told him I was tutoring the new student, I figure he knows you well."

 

"Oh, yeah, we now each other." Arin tried to shrug, glancing down to hide the flush of heat in his face. "Wh-What did he say?"

 

"Not sure, I wasn't listening the whole way through." He said, his icy blue eyes narrowed with amusement when Arin accidentally huffed out loud in frustration. He then pulled out the chair beside him. "Don't worry, he didn't say anything bad. Quite the opposite, actually. Either way, before we start, do you have any questions you want to ask?"

 

"…Yeah, how did you get that scar?" Arin asked. He only quickly looked at the white scar across the side of his nose and under his eye. He glanced down, and immediately noticed a redder, deeper scar across the side of Brian's shoulder, half-covered by the collar of his shirt.

 

"I got it in a fight. Any other personal questions? Or any about- I don't know- the actual subject we're doing?" Brian said. He didn't sound offended, but his tone was firm. He sounded like an actual teacher, not just a fellow student who was barely a year older than Arin. When Arin shook his head, Brian adjusted his collar and opened up the textbook in front of him. "Alright then, tell me which topic you want help with…"

 

 

-

Less than an hour flew by. Arin could answer most of Brian's questions quickly, but forcing himself to listen made his head go dizzy. Focusing on the topic became harder, and Arin suppressed a long sigh of relief when they reached the end of the chapter in the text book.

 

"You know, you're better than I expected." Brian conceded, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "I thought we'd spend a lot longer on this."

 

"Well, I've had to study over the Summer for a lot of my subjects." Arin admitted, trying to ignore the dull ache in his head. Was thing going to go on for much longer? "I've caught up with the rest of them, it's mostly physics that I need to improve on now."

 

"So you just fell back for some reason?" Brian asked, he looked back at Arin with a curious glint in his eye. "Well, I'm not going to pry. Besides, if I was that bothered about people's business, I'd have probably been able to find out what's bothering Dan."

 

"Why? What's wrong with Dan?"

 

"I don't know." He replied bluntly. "He's been unusually quiet all morning, but he won't say why, which is what worries me." He tapped the table with his pen. "He says he's fine, but I know he's lying because there's something… Off with him… I can just tell."

 

Arin sat in silence, unsure what to say. Brian blinked at him,

 

"This is probably going to sound weird of me to ask, but do you think you can check up on him?" He asked. When Arin blinked in surprise, he continued. "I'm not asking to find out his entire history, just make sure he's not doing something stupid. If he's not in class- which he probably isn't- he's usually around the back of the school building, towards the music block." He glanced up at the clock again, concern glittering in his blue eyes. "He seemed pretty excited when he was talking about you. I think you'd have an easier job of making sure he's ok."

 

Arin slowly nodded in thought. He could sense that Brian was more worried for his friend than he seemed. He didn't know what their relationship was like, but he could tell that they were close.

 

"I'll go find him," Arin promised. "I'll make sure he's doing alright."

 

 

\---

 

Arin turned around the corner of the building. A long stretch of the school was completely empty, but the scent of smoke and cannabis still lingered. The windows, a few being chipped, in the wall showed nothing but dark, empty classes. The silence sent a chill down his back. Brian said this would be the place Dan would most likely be. Was he in class?

 

_'Unlikely.'_ Arin thought, remembering Brian's own doubt.

 

"Arin?" A loud voice called for him. Alarmed, Arin looked around. Nobody was there. "Arin, up here!"

 

Arin glanced up, and stepped backwards in surprise. "Dan?" He called back. Dan leant over the wall ledge on the roof, and waved at Arin. "How- What are you doing up there?"

 

"Hang on, I'm coming down!" He shouted, before turning away from the edge. Arin padded at the ground with his feet as he paced impatiently. Moments later, Dan emerged from the corner. A smile beamed from his face, but his glassy gaze made Arin feel unease. When was the last time he slept? "Hey, Arin! How's it going?"

 

"I'm fine, I think, but why were on the roof?"

 

"Well, it's…" Dan stared up at the edge of the roof, blinking owlishly. "It's a long story. Anyway," He looked back down at Arin. "It doesn't matter now. "

 

"Aren't you worried that a Teacher will catch you?"

 

"Meh, the dude I'm supposed to have right now said I could take a break, he said that I looked a little rough." Dan shrugged, sagging against the brick wall. "Although I think the only reason he let me leave was because I saved his cat from a tree last month. It almost bit off my arm, but I'm sure it was grateful when it stopped meowing so much."

 

Arin blinked in surprise at him. He didn't expect an answer like that. From what Ross told him, he thought Dan used violence and terror to get what he wanted, not caring if he broke any laws or rules in the process. Arin was certain that Dan wouldn't help somebody's cat when he was 13.

 

_'Maybe he is different now…'_

 

Dan looked back at him, his tipped his head in puzzlement.

 

"What's wrong?" He asked.

 

"Nothing, I just-" Arin tried to get his words together. He didn't want to offend Dan. "From what I heard, I thought you were… Different, from that."

 

Dan stayed silent. His steady gaze locked onto Arin. Something changed in his hazel eyes, but Arin couldn't tell what it was.

 

"Did Ross tell you anything, by any chance?" He asked after a long silence, his voice soft and quiet. When Arin nodded, he continued. "What did he say?"

 

"He said you've killed someone, a couple months ago or something, he didn't say who or how or anything like that, he just said you did…" Arin trailed off when he realised he was rambling. He steadied his shivering breath. A heavy stone sat uncomfortably inside his stomach. "It's not true, though, is it…?

 

Dan's silence made the stone heavier and colder with each passing second, until he sighed.

 

"…It's true."

 

The stone in Arin's stomach turned to a ball of ice. The sudden coldness choked him. "It… It is? So you _have_ killed someone?" He stared at Dan, his eyes wide with disbelief. "But- How? Who? _Why?_ "

 

"I- and quite a lot of others-  got in a fight a few months back with Ross and his friends." He explained with a hollow voice. His glazed stare focusing on nothing. "We were so high up, on a multi-floored parking lot. I was trying to push this guy off my back, but I didn't realise we were so close to the edge and I… I…" The words choked him. "I pushed him off the side."

 

Arin in took a sharp breath at the scene described to him. He shook away the images of blood and violence. He blinked at Dan, completely slack-jawed.

 

"But that was an accident, right?" He closed his gapping mouth. "It wasn't your fault-"

 

"-But It _was_ my fault!" Dan insisted, his tense shoulders then slumped with misery. He slowly swung his head. "I should have been paying attention to what was happening. I never meant to kill him, but I _did_ , and now I have to live with that." He continued, gently feeling the scar down his face.

 

"You don't want to hurt people, do you?" Arin ventured, his voice as soft as he could. Dan shook his head again, the sorrow in his glassy eyes was almost too much to bare.

 

Arin's heart twisted in sympathy, and a flash of guilt sparked in him. _Of course_ it was an accident. Did part of him really believe Dan could kill someone in cold-blood? His quietness fell thickly in the air.

 

_'Perhaps Ross was wrong after all…'_ He thought to himself. He silently sighed in relief, the ache in his body slowly easing.

 

Dan's voice was barely a soft breath, "I don't want to hurt people anymore, Arin. Not after what I did, but by the time I've calmed down from whatever made me so angry, it's too late."

 

Arin gently pressed his side against Dan's shoulder, who then relaxed at his touch. He turned his head towards Arin, and emotion welled in his eyes. Arin wanted to tell him so much, that he wasn't alone, or that it was going to be fine. Dan gave a small, exhausted smile, as if he understood what Arin was thinking, before turning back to the scenery. The two stood in silence, watching the slowly-browning leaves on the small trees bristle in the breeze, and the overcast clouds edging across the sky, for what felt like several hours.

 

Arin felt Dan stiffen beside him. Dan swiftly stared around, his eyes wildly alarmed. He looked like a cat who had woken up to a deafening screech. "What is it?" Arin asked, looking in Dan's direction. He was staring at a classroom, but it was too far away to known who was inside it. "…Dan?"

 

"Nothing…" Dan murmured, he then shook his head like rain dropped on it. He turned to Arin, blinking as if he was falling out of a trance. "Nothing. Sorry." He looked back at the sky, but Arin could feel his tense shoulders next to his.

 

"How about we walk somewhere else?" He suggested. Perhaps Dan was worried a teacher saw him, but didn't want to look scared in front of Arin. Or maybe Brian was right- Dan was hiding something. "To avoid explaining to other teachers why we're here?"

 

Dan nodded. He briskly walked beside Arin away from the building and towards the school field. He kept his worried gaze on the building before turning it to the ground. Arin couldn't tell what he was thinking, but before he could come up with anything to say, Dan spoke first.

 

"Hey, Arin. I feel like I owe you an explanation." Dan murmured, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. "Like, why I went missing for such a long time?"

 

Arin stared at him, his eyes rounded. "Yes!" He exclaimed. "Why was I told you died? Were you even in hospital?"

 

"Yeah, that part is true. I was very ill for a long, long time." Dan replied. He didn't take his eyes off the clouds. "I can't exactly remember the name of the illness; in fact, I don't remember much of that time. It was mostly a blur of unconsciousness and hospital beds. Then when I finally recovered, my parents moved here, and enrolled me into this high school..."

 

"…And I wasn't allowed to see you." Arin finished with a sigh. "I guess they figured that I got you into so many fights. Maybe they thought I was a bad influence."

 

"You? A bad influence? Come on, Arin, you're the most adorable person I know!" Dan's light purr surprised Arin. He gently nudged him with his shoulder, and his hazel eyes softened as he gazed at Arin. "I'm just glad to see you again, whatever my parents think."

 

Dan's words were almost muffled by Arin's roaring heartbeat in his ears. He stared at the ground, feeling his face heat up again like earlier. "I feel the same." He admitted. He wanted to talk more, but his dry throat closed up. He couldn't speak if he wanted to. He was just content with being beside Dan.

A ringing bell interrupted his thoughts. Arin stared at the school building. How had he spent so long with Dan and not notice the time?

 

"I… I have to go." He said. Disappointment jabbed his heart like a spear. He turned away, taking a step from Dan. "I'll see you later, Dan."

 

"Wait, Arin. Hang on a second." Arin felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned back to Dan, who quickly let go of him. He blinked nervously as he looked down, as if he forgot what he was going to say. "Are you free tonight?"

 

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Was Dan about to…?

 

"Will-… Will you meet up with me? You know where the Diner is, right?" When Arin hastily nodded, he continued. "Will you meet me in the alleyway at the side, at about 11pm? I'll show you I'm not as bad as people think, Arin."

 

_'And by 'people', you mean Ross.'_ Arin figured, but he didn't dare say out loud. Swallowing past the hard lump in his tight throat, he spoke,

 

 "Yes." He breathed, his voice almost cracking with excitement. "Yes, I'll meet you then."

 

(He then screamed internally for the rest of the day.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last sentence was me just playing around, but it's probably true.


	5. Chapter 5

_'I'll show you I'm not as bad as people think, please Arin…'_

 

"This is insane, why am I doing this?" Arin murmured under his breath. He glanced at his watch as he briskly walked down the tattered street. His body tensing at every eerie shadow that could be hiding a murderer.

 

The bright neon signs of the Diner made him shield his eyes away. Muffled music and laughter blocked the whistle of wind, and his neck pricked with wariness.

Arin peered down the alleyway at the side, watching for any sort movement. There was nothing there. With his heart pounding in his ears, Arin slowly stalked into the darkness. He winced at the rotten stench from the bins, wishing agreed to meet Dan somewhere else.

 

 _'He should be here any second now.'_ He thought to himself, his heart racing from his stomach. What if he didn't come? What if something was wrong? He bit his lip anxiously, and flinched at a stepping sound behind him.

He spun around, and a wave of relief washed over him. Dan stood before him, his supple skin glowed in the moonlight, and his eyes glinted like precious gemstones.

 

"You came!" Dan purred, smiling brightly.

 

"Yeah, I…" He trailed off, his mind slowly blanking out as he stared at the boy. "Yeah, of course I did."

 

 _'Did he think I wouldn't turn up? Why the fuck wouldn't I? '_ He thought to himself, ‘ _I've barely seen him in years, but damn, he's still weirdly handsome…'_

 

Dan blinked at Arin. He partly opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but he glanced away from him and stared at the floor. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

 

 _'He looks as nervous as I am.'_ Arin realised, barely stifling purr in amusement. _'I don't think he'd make a very hard criminal, even if he is in a Gang.'_

 

"So what do we do now?" Arin asked, comforted knowing he wasn't the only nervous one.

 

"There's somewhere I want to show you." Dan replied, cocking his head in the direction. He began walking down the alley with Arin by his side. "Have you seen my ride, yet?"

 

"No, I haven't." Arin said. A rush of anxiety rose up from his stomach. "It's not a car, is it?"

 

"No, you'll see it in a second." Dan lead Arin to the side of the road, where a black-and-red motorcycle shone in the moonlight. Dan opened up the cabinet at the back and gently chucked a helmet towards Arin. He just caught it, almost dropping it out of surprised.

 

"I suggest you put it on." Dan purred, strapping on his own helmet. "It wouldn't be pretty if we had an accident."

 

"I should have known you owned one of these." Arin said. He wore the helmet and sat behind Dan on the motorcycle, the glowing metal ran smoothly against his hand. "You were obsessed with them when you were younger- You talked about your dream bike until 3AM years ago."

 

"Yeah, I remember that. I was surprised your mom didn't yell at us for talking all night." He replied with a soft laugh. His voice was muffled over his helmet covering his face, and the engine that he turned on. "Hold on tight."

 

Without waiting for Arin to reply, the engine growled before speeding forward. Arin gripped Dan with a tight embrace around his waist, pressing the side of his face against Dan's back with his eyes closed.

 

The wind swiped past his skin, hitting it with a sharp pang. Whenever the bike turned to the side, Arin's tense body stiffened even more. He didn't expect it to be so fast and open compared to a car.

 

Gingerly, Arin dared to peek through one of his eyes. A blur of neon lights and sounds raced past him like fireflies, and he fully opened his eyes. Despite the new experience of riding, Dan's warm back soothed his shock.

 

 _'If Dan's driving, I know I'm safe.'_ He thought to himself, his grip slightly loosening as he grew used to the speed and the way his clothes ruffled in the wind. _'It actually feels pretty nice. A lot freer than a car…'_

 

The lights and noises of the busy town slowly dimmed down, and before Arin realised, he was suddenly pulled back at they drove up a slope. He kept his grip on Dan firm, and hoped he wasn't hurting him. After several minutes of driving, Dan slowed down to a stop.

 

"Take off your helmet, we're here."

 

Arin took off his helmet as Dan told him to, and he glanced around. He squinted his eyes to see through the darkness, and moments later realise that Dan had driven them further out from the outskirts of the Town and up the valley, and was parked on a dusty, thin strip of flat road at the very top. A woodland rustled to the side Arin, with leaves of thick the moonlight couldn't shine through them, leaving it completely dark.

 

 _'Creepy…'_ Arin shuddered as he turned to his other side. He gasped with awe as he overlooked a dense, green meadow that ended suddenly a bit away in front of him, with the town on the horizon.

 

From the distance, Arin couldn't hear the constant honks of cars, or the sounds of gunshots. He could only hear a soft, late summer breeze in the leaves and the chirps of insects surrounding him.

 

"Beautiful, right?" Dan interjected Arin's thoughts, he looked at Dan and nodded. In that moment, Dan jumped off his bike and hopped over the wooden fence. "Follow me."

 

Arin placed his helmet on the seat in front of him and followed Dan over the fence. He sat down beside Dan, relieved to feel the mossy grass beneath him after a ride on a leather seat. He stared around, using the moon as his only light. He slowly scanned the horizon, glancing over the jagged cliff overhanging the wide river, to the long slope of the valley where millions of lights glowed up their town, and over to the snow-glistening mountains in the distance.

 

"I've never seen a view so beautiful in my life." He gasped breathlessly. He glanced at Dan who was watching the sky. In confusion, Arin looked up, and was slack-jawed at the scene.

 

The sky was glittered with millions of stars; more than Arin had ever seen in the City. Some were almost brighter than the moon, while others were small and speckled in-between the gaps. Meteorites flew across the sky, leaving Arin almost speechless.

 

"Oh _wow!_ " He whispered, his eyes wide with awe. "This is amazing!"

 

"I know, right?" Dan purred. He laid down, resting the back of his head on the grass. Arin perched his arms behind him, watching each meteorite fly over him. His mind was filled with nothing but Dan and the stars. For the first time in many, many months, Arin wasn't grieving or anxious over anything. His stomach didn't ache with stress. He didn't want to wail out in agony. Things were perfect.

 

"Won't your parents wonder why you're out so late?" Arin couldn't help questioning, hearing the grass around Dan bristle as he shrugged.

 

"Probably not. They don't notice a lot of things; They're usually too busy to pay attention to anything I do." He said, his tone uncharacteristically low and quiet. He then gazed at Arin. "What about yours? I haven't seen them in a while, how are they?"

 

"Mine? Well…"  Arin brought his gaze back down. focused on a small patch of flowers in front him. He hesitated as grief welled up inside him, and he swallowed down his dry throat. "They're dead, Dan."

 

"What? That's terrible!" Dan gasped. He could hear the shock and sympathy in his voice, but Arin continued staring at the flowers. "But- How? They were pretty young."

 

"It only happened about half a year ago. My parents and I were driving home in the rain after visiting my Grandma. It was so late at night that we were all so exhausted, my mom didn't even realise she ran a red light." Arin's story tumbled out his mouth. Dan knew his parents quite well a few years back, he deserved to know what happened. "A massive truck crashed into the side of our car, and I was lucky enough to just get a broken arm and a face full of glass…" He leant backwards and onto his back "That's why I had to move; My Grandma was the only relative I had left, but recently she's been getting more ill by the day, and eventually I had to move by myself."

 

Arin gripped the front of his shirt as his heart ached with anguish, and a lump in his throat grew until he could barely breath, not helped by the airless sensation in his chest as he tried to control his heavy breathing. With each blink, he could almost see the shards of glass shining in the dim orange light.

 

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Dan murmured, his voice soft. Arin quickly glanced at him, and caught his warm, hazel gaze. He felt as if he was 12 again, and he grateful that he could confined in Dan like he used to. "I don't know what to say, man…"

 

"It's fine, you don't have to say anything." He sighed. "Things have changed so much for us, just within 5 years… Family, friends, schools… Almost nothing is the same anymore."

 

An empty pool of despair settled in his stomach. Could anything feel right again? He couldn't even be with his best friend without feeling guilty over something.

 

"Hey, Arin. It's going to be alright." Dan's gentle hand rested on Arin's shoulder. His heart fluttered at the touch, but at the same time a wave of comfort soothed him. "If there's anything I can do; you always know where I am. I'll always be your friend, and nothing will change that."

 

A smile grew on Arin's face. "Thanks, man." He purred, sitting up from his back again. He stared at the edge of the meadow, where there was a vertical drop. "So do you just like high places?"

 

"Sure, something like that…" Dan murmured. Before Arin could ask him what he meant, he added hastily. "Want to see what's down there?"

 

Arin nodded, curiosity brimming inside him. Dan jumped up to his feet, climbing back up the sloped meadow. Arin followed behind, still admiring the silver gloss shine around him. Crawling over the wooden fence at the top of the slope, Dan lead Arin down a sloping, dusty road that lead to the bottom. The two continued talking about everything that happened in the past 5 years since they lost touch; How his parents still spend a lot of time travelling for their jobs; Dan's job at a Gas station at the edge of the Town, and Arin's job as a Delivery Boy; Why Brian made him quit smoking for good,

 

"He was just worried the drugs would make my- would make me worse." Dan explained, "He's like that. He's a great friend."

 

"He scares me sometimes." Arin murmured, suppressing the chill down his spine. "He looks at me like he knows me entire life- and if judging me for it."

 

"Yeah, that's Brian for you." Dan said with a laugh. "He's nicer than he looks, I promise, but don't tell him that he freaks you out- he'd only use it for his advantage."

 

Eventually, the sloped road began to flatten and continued far into the darkness. A fence of tall hedges sat on the side, tensely packed together so no light could pierce through the thick greenery. Dan followed the side of the hedges, peering closely at them before stopping at a halt with a gasp of delight. He turned his head towards Arin, before whispering.

 

"There's a gap here, come through." Before disappearing through the thick hedge. Arin quickly followed behind, ignoring the twigs that scraped his clothing and skin until he emerged to the other side.  Standing beside Dan, who waited for him, he stared around the clearing with awe.

 

The abandoned quarry was sheltered by vertical, jaggy cliffs, with wide piles of rocks and boulders sitting around the edges and centre. The bright moon shone down the clearing, lighting the rocks up with a silvery glow. No sound scuttled around them, it was as if time stood still.

 

 _'Oh, if only…'_ Arin thought to himself, before a yawn escaped from his mouth. It was getting late, after all.

 

"Getting sleepy?" Dan teased, hopping onto the first flat stone at the bottom of a mountain of broken rocks.

 

"Never been less tired in my life." Arin purred back, stepping onto the stone beside Dan. He matched Dan's soft gaze with a smile, who then leapt onto the next boulder.

 

"Good, otherwise racing you to the top would be too easy." He said, before leaping to the next flattest stone, then to the next.

 

A purr of laughter escaped Arin's chest as he chased Dan up the pyramid of rocks. Energy bursting through his body at the prospect of a challenge. He could barely feel the sting of his hands on the sharper edges of the rocks as he kept his eyes on Dan, unable to help but admire his graceful, effortless climb up the rocks, not stopping to think about where he'd go next; he just instinctively knew, like a beautiful eagle gliding through the air.

 

Arin followed behind as quickly as he could, but Dan reached to the top before him. His hazel eyes glistened as he reached out his hand towards Arin.

 

"Don't worry, you get faster with practise." He purred, sitting down on the large boulder at the top. Arin held onto Dan's hand, letting himself be pulled the last few feet up. When he was safely at the top, Arin quickly let go of Dan. His hand fizzed with a strange warmth and excitement.

 

 _'That's weird,'_ He thought, blinking in surprise. He sat down beside Dan, watching the view, _'Guys don't usually make me feel like that…'_ He then shot a glance at Dan. The look of his face shining in the moonlight made Arin's heart race, with his eyes glistening like stars while his beautifully smooth skin gleamed like a glowing pearl. He made his heart gallop in his chest faster than it did while he was climbing. His throat tightened awkwardly as he turned away, his stomach and skin burning like fire sat in his chest. Both fear and excitement tingled together, sending a passionate energy all around him.

 

 _'Do I… Do I have a crush on Dan?'_ He wondered. It made sense. Of course it did. Dan was the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful person He'd ever met; who could not find him attractive? _'Oh, my God. I do have a crush on him!'_

 

The two sat in silence, their sides brushing against each other, as the wind whistled around them.

 

_'I'm falling in love with Dan, I just know it.'_

 


	6. Chapter 6

Arin half-peddled, half-pushed his bike down the street back to his apartment, too exhausted to move any quicker.  It had been several days since his escapade with Dan, and the thought of it still sent a spurge of joy through him. He glanced at his watch with a yawn.

 

_'God, I hate working so late..'_ He inwardly groaned. His eyes itched with exhausted, burning every time he blinked. _'Fucking Pizza place knows how to work their Delivery boys…'_

 

The muffled music and laughter drummed in Arin's ears. A Tavern was a few yards in front of him, and Arin could almost smell the alcohol from the outside. The door squeaked open and he saw a figure totter outside. Barely stable on his feet, the man threw an empty glass bottle onto the road with a loud smash.

 

"Fu- _Fuck_ you, Barry…" The man slurred with a thick Australian accent.

 

"Ross?" Arin called out, his voice cracked with surprise. "What the fuck are doing out here?"

 

Ross turned towards Arin, almost causing him to lose his balance. He blinked at him, as if he couldn't recognise him.

 

"A- Arin?" He slowly said. He narrowed his eyes for a couple of seconds, before widening them again. "Oh, it _is_ you! I-I couldn't see you."

 

"Are you drunk?" He asked. He quickly hopped off his bike, leaning it against the brick wall, before padding over to Ross. He held him tightly on the shoulder so he didn't fall down.

 

"N-No." Ross lied, leaning against Arin with a stumble. Arin grimaced as the reek of alcohol hit him. "Maybe. I don't know. I-I need to walk home."

 

Ross took one step in front of him before stumbling down. He grunted as his face hit the concrete, but he didn't get up.

 

"You are not walking _anywhere_ , man." Arin firmly told him, picking Ross up off the floor. "I'm getting you a cab before you kill yourself."

 

"Th-Thanks, mate…" Ross slurred, his eyes half-closed and glazed. Arin sat him on the floor with his back against the wall, and Arin sat beside him. Ross leant his head against Arin's shoulder for support. "Y-You're really nice…"

 

"Why are you so drunk, anyway?" Arin asked, taking out the phone from his pocket and dialling a number saved on his phone.

 

"B-Because I love someone who hates me…" Ross mumbled, his voice, although barely audible, was thick with sorrow. "Barry fucked me up, with his adorable face an' shit. I tried talking to him, alone, but he doesn’t want anything to do with me. Fucking handsome asshole…"

 

Arin froze before he could ring the number. He turned to Ross, almost lost for words.

 

"Wai- What?" Arin already knew how much Ross missed Barry's friendship, but he didn't think… "I didn't know you liked Barry that way."

 

"Nobody does. Nobody _can_ know." His words, although slurred, were pacey with panic. "If they did, I'd be killed…" He pulled his head off Arin's shoulder, almost unbalancing himself. "Th-They can't stand people like me. G-Guys who like… _Other_ guys…" He gripped onto his stomach with a groan, as if he was going to be sick. "Even if you like girls too, it's just _guys_ they care about…"

 

"Well, don't even worry about it…" Arin murmured, feeling as if he was picking words out of thin air. He pressed his phone against his ear, listening the dialling tone. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

 

Ross grunted in reply, possibly not listening to a word he was saying. Arin wasn't even sure if Ross knew he was talking out loud.

 

_'After all,'_ He thought to himself. _'How can I judge you if I've got a crush on my best friend?'_

 

 

\---

 

The next morning came slow, despite Arin's exhaustion the night before. He trailed behind a tight pack of students into school the next morning. Padding down the corridor, he constantly turned his head, trying to focus on every person he could see for at least a heartbeat.

 

_'Is he even in today? I wouldn't be, if I was in the same state he was last night…'_

 

Ignoring anybody who bumped into him, Arin watched the line of students fiddling with their lockers. Eventually, his eyes caught a shorter, lithe boy half-leaning and half-tottering over a bin. His groans muffled by the chatter around him. His rustic-brown hair was spiked like thistles. His white shirt was crumpled and tatty, with smudged marks of dust over his back.

 

_'Did he even go home at all? He looks like passed out as soon as he got out of the cab!'_

 

"Hey, Ross. Are you alright there…?" He asked, keeping his voice as soft as possible, in case Ross felt as bad as he looked.

 

"For the love of God, please kill me." Ross croaked out. He glanced up at Arin, before retching inside the bin again. "My body is dying. _I'm_ dying."

 

"I'm honestly not surprised…" Arin murmured, forcing himself not to wince at the acidic smell. He hesitantly placed his hand on Ross' back, and felt him relax under his gentle strokes. "You could barely walk last night, or speak…"

 

"Really? Were you there? I can't remember a _thing_ …" Ross groaned, his words hissing up his throat. "I remember drinking, and then collapsing out of a car… Everything in-between's kind of a blur…"

 

_'Then you won't remember telling me about your feelings for Barry.'_ Arin thought to himself. He kept quiet, deciding that Ross wouldn't thank him for announcing it to the World. If that fact made Ross want to drink until his liver gave out, he wouldn't want to be reminded of it either…

 

"You weren't making a lot of sense anyway, don't even worry about it…" He looked up at the clock on the wall. Only a few minutes until classes started… "I think you should sit in the Nurse's office and sober up before you go to class, or at least sit in the library…"

 

To his surprise, Ross shook his head.

 

"No, I've had my fake ID since I was 16- I've come into school like this loads of times. I’ll recover before recess." He said, lifting his head up and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "You go up ahead, just tell Mr Miller I'll be late- Arin, I'll be _fine_ , really."

 

Arin hesitated, barely moving from his spot. He narrowed his eyes at Ross, who was staring back with his glazed, defeated gaze. After a long, dragged-out heartbeat, He slowly shook his head,

 

"You don't give up easily, do you? Fine, I'll sit in the library when I stop choking whatever bile is still in my stomach. I promise I'll be in there during break." He sighed. His gaze softened, although Arin couldn't tell if it was from affection or weariness. "Even if you have to come and drag me there, Ok?"

 

Realising that Ross couldn't be further bargained with, Arin nodded. He waved goodbye to Ross, who turned back to the opening of the bin in front of him.

 

 

-

 

Arin's concern for Ross sat in his stomach throughout his entire class. Even though his own class on the reward for good behaviour was let out a few minutes earlier before anyone else, his stomach ached like he was sick. He shook his head to clear it, and quickly made his way down the corridors of the school towards the library, where Ross promised he'd be.

He turned a corner, and sighed in relief when he saw the bin where Ross was. He wasn't there. The unease in Arin's belly slowly started to fade. He continued down the hall, where only a few students that were let out early settled around the edges in their own groups. Mindless chatter filled the halls, but Arin too distracted to pay attention to any of it.

 

_'Right, the library should be just around the corner down the next hall, I'm certain…'_

 

Just as Arin pushed the double door to the next hall, a furious shriek echoed from around the corner. Before he could react, another screech joined in. From the noise, Arin knew there was a fight going on.

Edged with curiosity, he quickly made his way down to the end of the hall, and before he fully turned around the corner he froze in shock.

Several students, including Barry, stood with their backs pressed against the wall. They yowled with excitement as they cheered the two people in the centre on. Ross, recovering faster than Arin first thought, straddled another boy's back. He pinned his neck down with one hand, while hammering his face into the ground with the other. Blood ran underneath Ross' nose, but payed no attention when it dripped off his face.

 

"Call me a faggot again. I _fucking_ dare you!" He snarled, his one good eye blazed with hatred. There was no reply from the other boy, except for the weak, gasping sound escaping from him.

 

_'Jesus- Is Ross actually going to kill him!?'_

 

Before Arin could react, a tall, broad-shouldered man exited one of the classrooms. He yelled something at Ross, but was completely ignored. Ross punched the limp boy in the face. The crowed around the two silently stepped backwards as the man grabbed onto Ross' mid-air arm, forcing him to stand up. Ross quickly shook off the man's grip, grunting as he then kicked the boy on the ground.

The man grabbed Ross' arm again, yanking him back. Arin flinched; that amount of force that could have injured Ross! The boy on the ground leapt to his feet, sneering at Ross for his forced retreat.

 

"What's the Gaylord going to do now?" He hissed with scorn, quickly wiping the blood off his face. Ross desperately pulled his arm out of the Teacher's grip, swearing incoherently at him in defiance.

 

A strange sense of frustration scorched Arin, _'I bet that kid wasn't as defeated as he looked, he probably just didn't want to get in as much trouble.'_ He narrowed his eyes as the bloodied boy. _'He's being a complete dick, why isn't the Teacher yelling at him too?'_

 

Before Arin could think of an answer, a different teacher stormed out of one of the classrooms, his face scrunched fury as he glowered at the students.

 

"Right, everyone out of the corridor, _now!_ " His bellowing roar silenced them. Arin and the rest of the students stared up at him, stiffened with surprise, before quickly shuffling their way down the corridors, leaving Ross and the boy with the two furious teachers.

Arin stood where he was, watching Ross with a mix of sympathy and frustration, before somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

 

"Arin, did you see that?" Barry glanced behind his shoulder before looking back at Arin. "I've never seen Mr Harris look so mad in my life."

 

"Something tells me he's not angry about the guy being a homophobic scrub…" Arin growled, his hand burnt as he tightened the grip of his bag strap. After a few seconds, he began walking beside Barry. They walked out through the doors, where everybody enjoyed their break. Arin twitched uneasily, not understanding how the atmosphere could relax so quickly after such a fight.

 

"Of course not, this school doesn't care about stuff like that. Your old one might have protected students like that, but there's no support here, especially from people like Isaac." Barry warned. "You either stay quiet or you die, more or less."

 

"So, is Ross…?" He trailed off, glancing behind his shoulder at the doors they just walked through. Ross may have told him about his attraction to men that night, but he didn't know who else knew. After all, Ross only told him because he was drunk, and he hardly remembered Arin being there are all.

 

"Well, he had a girlfriend last year, so I don't think so." Barry said, his voice surprisingly wispy. "Either way, even if he is, I don't think that was the reason he got into that fight…"

 

"Oh? Then why?" As soon as Arin asked, Barry halted. He skimmed the hallway, checking that nobody was close enough to hear, before leaning closer towards Arin.

 

"I saw what happened just before it started. I just left my classroom before I nearly crashing into this Freshmen kid sprinting down the hallway, then I heard Ross and Isaac arguing about something. I-I hid behind the lockers so they wouldn't see me." His body tensed as he retold the story to Arin.  "Anyway, Ross said something like 'Don't you dare ever bully that kid again. He can't help who he is, but you can stop being an asshole.' and then Isaac said something about Ross, but I wasn't sure what, since the next thing I heard was someone getting punched in the face, and being throttled to the ground. At first, both of them were violent until Isaac started to give up, but Ross isn't one to stop a fight that easily…" He ended with a shudder, as if he had seen countless fights like that.

 

"Still, that Isaac-kid is an asshole." Arin murmured. So Ross just wanted to protect that Freshman from, what he assumed to be, homophobia. How many of his fights started like that? "I hope he gets into some sort of trouble. It's not fair, otherwise."

 

"Nothing is fair at this school; you have to take matters like that into your own hands." Barry sighed with a shake of his head. "Don't worry, I doubt Ross will get expelled for it, but will probably spend the rest of the week working in the Detention base by himself- At least, I hope he doesn't leave."

 

With the clear look of concern on Barry's face, Arin wondered if he missed Ross as much as Ross missed him.

 

"Yeah, yeah…" Arin said, too lost in his own thoughts to think of a proper answer. "I'll see if he's ok soon." He then glanced up at the clock on the wall, only a few minutes left of break. "Anyway, I'll see you later, Barry."

 

“Alright, have fun going to class.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

In the moonlit parking lot, many stories up off the ground, Dan glared into the icy blue stare of Ross. The clearing of silent, but tension cracked through the air like lightning. Many eyes glinted behind Ross, almost hidden by the shadows, but Dan knew there were just as many right behind him, all aching for a fight. Nothing moved, as if they were waiting for a signal.

 

"This is what you get for hurting my friend!" Dan suddenly yowled, fury overwhelming him. He lunged at Ross, bowling him over in one swift movement. Within the same heartbeat, the clearing exploded into a fight.

 

Ross punched Dan's face as he struggled on the ground. Dan ignored his instinct to flinch away, and pounded at Ross' chest. Ross hissed in pain and writhed under Dan's body until he was unbalanced. With a final punch, he shoved Dan off him, flecks of blood rolling off Dan's face.

Without a second to recover, Ross leapt onto Dan while he was on the ground, pinning him down.

Dan grunted with rage as Ross struck his stomach and face over and over. Adrenalin and agony shot through his body like an arrow. With a hefty blow, He managed to kick Ross in the stomach, throwing Ross off his body. Ross yelped in surprise as he landed on the ground, but didn't move. Dan stared at his body, and suppressed a sigh of relief when Ross twitched. He was just winded.

 

" _Dan_ -!"

 

Dan spun to the side and gasped in horror; Brian was struggling underneath a burly boy, and Dan could see the unmistakable glint of a knife being pointed against Brian's throat.

Instinctively, Dan ran into the side of Brian's attacker, forcing him off. Up close, Dan recognised the boy as Sam, one of Ross' closest friends.

 

"Get off him!" Dan yowled at him. He shoved Sam away, and quickly turned back at Brian.

 

Brian leapt up to his feet, and he shot a glance of gratitude to Dan. He gave a small smile, but  quickly dropped it and his eyes widened.

 

Before Brian could speak, a furious cry rang in his ears and a heavy force on his back almost pushed him to the ground. He spun his head around, and yowled as Sam gripped onto his back. The air inside Dan's lungs was pushed out of his chest. His legs were close to buckling under the weight. Blood pounded in his ears, as he thrashed his neck away from the blade pressed against his throat. Cold scratches lashed at his throat, the blade too close to cutting through his skin.

 

Desperate for his life, Dan tried to writher the attacker off his back. He cried in pain when a sharp sting ran down his face, followed by a warm, thumping sensation. The salty taste of blood dripped into his mouth. The cold metal blade pressed against his neck sent a boost of strength around his tiring body. He slammed back into boy and gasped for breath when his body was free. With his remaining strength, he thrusted Sam away, ramming his elbow into his chest.

Dan spun around, preparing himself for another attack. Sam stumbled backwards, but his legs halted while his back reeled. Bile rose up Dan's throat.

 

 He accidentally pushed the boy over the tall edge.

 

"No, God _No_ -!" He jumped towards the boy, his arm stretched towards him. He tried to grab Dan's hand, but was inches too far.

 

" _No!_ " Dan screamed as Sam fell towards the ground. He gripped the side on the edge. He shut his eyes as a horrifying crunch deafened his ears.

 

_'Oh God- Oh God! He couldn't have fallen! He couldn't have fallen, God please!'_

 

"Sam- Sam, no!" Ross' frightened wail echoed through the air. Dan opened his good eye, and Ross leaned over the edge. His eyes were wide with shock and horror, and his body was pale and shaky.

 

"Sam's on the ground!" Ross turned away from the edge, and the sounds of the fight instantly stopped. Dan knew that everyone was staring at the two of them, but he couldn't turn away. His eyes were fixed on the distant, broken body at the bottom of the 7 flights of stairs. His entire body shook, his stomach turned on itself, and his head was light and dizzy, as if he was suddenly walking in a dream. "We need to get to Sam's body, _now!"_

 

A stream of people sprinted towards the stairs. Dan quickly turned to Ross, trying to speak, but nothing could come out.

 

"You… You _killed_ him! You psychopathic _murderer!_ " Ross screeched, raw misery and hatred burning in his eyes. "This isn't over, Dan. This will _never_ be over!"

 

"Ross, I-"

 

"I'll never forgive you for this!"

 

-

Dan sprang up in his bed with a start. His chest burnt for air as cold sweat dripped down his back. Dan stared around his room wildly, momentarily forgetting he was awake.

Slowly, he realised he was in his room, shaded with a dark blue from the breaking dawn outside. It was just another nightmare from the month-old tragedy. He drew a long, wavy breath, before his arms collapsed behind him. The back of his head hit his pillow with a soft thud and he rubbed his tired eyes with his hand.

 

_'I'll never forgive you for this!'_

 

Ross' furious glare flashed every time Dan closed his eyes, his heart jumped each time he replayed his threat. His hand stroked against the rough scar over half of his face, he didn't need a nightmare to remember what he did that night.

 

"Oh God, Ross. I'm sorry!" His chest begged him to scream, but all he could manage was a faint whisper. "I'm sorry I killed your friend…"

 

 

Danny's head was still swirling with memories and emotions the next day. In the morning, each blink replayed the entire fight over and over again. Now it was barely the evening, and his nightmare started to fade, but the heavy weight on his chest hadn't moved at all. For the entire day he refused to go to any of his classes. At that point, he didn't care about what the school would say about it, his only regret was he couldn't see Arin for the day. He stared at the ground as he slowly trudged through the empty, thrifty parking lot. Classes would have finished not long ago, but his music tutoring was held after school. His music was one of the only things he still had a passion for.

 

_'Fucking Hell…'_ He thought to himself, rubbing the tiredness off his face with his hand. _'What can I do about all this? Is there anything I can do at all? I'm lucky enough I didn't get done by the police for murder…'_

 

A sudden force against his face snapped him out of his thoughts. The side of his face stung from the impact.

 

"Ah- _What the fuck!?_ " He cursed, holding the side of his face and hissing. He glared around and saw a football bounce away, and a voice called out,

 

"I told you to catch it, you idiot!"

 

Dan turned to the voice and sighed with irritation. A dark-haired boy with a long, healing scar over the ridge of his nose strolled over to him.

 

"Brian, you asshole! You could have at least checked that I was listening." Dan said with a mock growl, his sudden anger fading at the sight of his friend. "Geez, I thought you were smarter than that."

 

"You don't complain about my intelligence when you need my help with schoolwork." Brian pointed out, amusement glimmered in his blue eyes. Dan laughed with a purr while Brian picked up his football off the ground. "Besides, you looked like you were sleep-walking. You desperately needed something to wake you up."

 

"I know, I just… I didn't get much sleep last night." Dan shrugged, gently rubbing the back of his neck.

 

"Why?"

 

"Just… Nightmares and stuff, I guess."

 

Brian stopped tossing his football in the air and looked at his friend, his eyes slightly narrowed.

 

"Did you have _the_ nightmare again?" When Dan didn't reply, Brian sighed. "Oh, Danny, Sam's death was _not_ your fault- and you can't guilt yourself for putting Ross' dad in prison. The bastard deserved it."

 

"Yeah, but-"

 

"But _nothing_. You didn't know you were that close to the edge- You were busy trying to not get killed, for God's sake." His voice then softened. "His death was a tragic accident, nothing more. You can't keep torturing yourself like this."

 

Dan couldn't reply. Instead, he gazed into the distance, his thoughts clouded with misery.

 

_'If none of it was my fault, then why do I feel so guilty about it?'_ Dan wanted to cry out, but something pulled him back. He never doubted Brian's intellect, and was always the best for advice, but he knew in the back of his mind that Brian wouldn't be able to give him a straight answer- Or at least an answer Dan would be satisfied with.

 

"You're still worried about what Ross will do, aren't you?" Brian asked, tipping his head to the side.

 

Dan nodded, unable to shake his threat off his mind. He turned to Brian, who was tossing his football into the air and catching it again, and Dan noticed the forlorn, distant look in his gaze, as if he was watching back a bittersweet memory.

 

"You know, I keep forgetting you knew Ross a while back." Dan said, figuring what Brian could have been thinking about. "You used to love going to that Summer Camp until Ross joined. I don't know why you stopped going, though."

 

"It was ages ago." Brian said hastily, turning his gaze away from Dan. "Nothing even happened between us."

 

Dan suppressed a smirk in amusement. He decided not to point out that he didn't even _suggest_ that anything happened between Brian and Ross during the Summer. Instead, Dan gazed ahead with a deep breath. The anxious pain in his stomach began to settle with the comfort from best friend.

 

"Anyway, now that I've found you; was Barry with you while you were skipping school?" Brian asked unexpectedly, still concentrating on his football. His voice sounded tight and strained, as if he was trying to sound relaxed, but an underlining feeling that he refused to show meant that his question was more than curiosity.

 

"No, I haven't seen him around. Why?" Dan tried to think back on his day. He would have noticed Barry around the Town that day, even with his distracted mind. "Is he ill or something?"

 

"No, because I saw him in the hallway this morning." Brian shook his head. "But he didn't turn up for class, and I don't think he went to any of them. He's been acting… Weird, ever since Monday."

 

_'Monday? What happened on Monday?'_

 

"I haven't really noticed, to be honest…" Dan murmured, knowing that Brian was usually the more observant one. "Although, he does seem a lot more distracted than usual, and last night I saw him walking down the street at about midnight, but he disappeared before I could catch up to him."

 

"And you didn't question it?" Brian asked, surprising Dan with the fierceness. He held his football with a firm grip. "Something's up with him, even if he's not telling us what it is."

 

"Brian, he's probably fine." He said, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "It might be just family stuff, you know, and sometimes people just like walking. We'll ask him the next time we see him, just… I don't know, just try and relax." He glanced at the school building, aware of how much time was passing. "I've got to go for my music lesson now, but I'll see you later."

 

He waved good-bye to Brian before springing back into his brisk pace around the edge of the school, towards the smaller building where Music lessons were held. The image of Brian's scar sent a cold prickle up his spine; Dan could only imagine how many scars were hidden around his body from fighting, too many to remember exactly when or where they came from. However, Dan was almost certain Ross gave Brian the scar on his face. Brian refused to talk about it, but Ross trying to kill him in a sudden attack just to show Dan how serious he was about his promise of revenge seemed too real. Nobody else could attack Brian and not bleed on the ground, unless he didn't _want_ to hurt his attacker, and ever since the summer from two years ago, Brian had never done anything to harm Ross, even when he was in danger.

Dan's head ached with confusion and questions. He _had_ to find out the truth behind Brian's feelings for Ross if it killed him. Until then, he had to stop overthinking about it…

 

_'God, I hope I won't be late again…'_ He suddenly thought, trying to distract himself. He checked the time on his watch, and just as he turned a sharp corner, he was stopped at a halt. With a hiss of surprise, he glared at whatever ran into him, only to reel back in surprise.

 

"Barry?" He stared at his friend, who's eyes were wide and shocked. He didn't speak, so Dan continued. "What are you doing here? You don't do music, do you?"

 

"I… I- Can't somebody just spend some extra time studying?" Barry retorted. At first, his voice was as strong and clear as it usually was, but then his words started to trail off until they were a mumble.

 

"You barely study in class, let alone _outside_ of it…" Dan tried to soften his voice, and push down his growing concern. "Barry, what's wrong? I think even Brian is worried about you, and I was starting to think that boy only worried about his grades."

 

Barry didn't say anything. Instead, he stared down at the ground beside him. He fiddled with the strap of his bag as he withered uncomfortably. Brian was right- something _was_ up with him. For a moment, Dan expected Barry to tell him, until he shook his head.

 

"No, nothing is wrong. Does it really matter what I'm doing?" He swerved around Dan, barely glancing over his shoulder as he continued. "I'm fine, Dan. Don't worry about it…"

 

His stomach prickling with unease, he watched him trudge away. Dan turned back to the path, and a cloud of concern shadowed over him as he continued towards the door of the small building that was the music block. Dan pressed his hand against the dark green door to open it, but froze as he dragged his gaze towards the edge of the school field beside the block, where a smaller, grey building- Barely the size of one room- sat by itself at the end of a long, empty path.

Dan narrowed his eyes at the small detention base at the bottom of the concrete space. Was that where Barry came from?

 

_'No, what would he be doing there?'_ Dan thought to himself. He pressed his hand against the door, before stopping again. _'But then again, what_ was _he doing here…? He's been acting strange since Monday… Monday…'_

 

Before he could think any further, the squeak of a door beside Dan made him jump. He spun his head around, and his stomach dropped. Ross came out of the Inclusion Base.

His spine cold with dread, he froze as he watched the russet-haired boy trail well-trodden the path across the school field. Dan breathed a sigh of relief; Ross didn't notice him.

As Ross strolled down his path, Dan couldn't help but notice the bright gleam in his eyes. A soft smile curled on his face, despite nobody being around. Who had he been seeing…?

 

_'Barry!'_

 

With a strike of realisation, Dan stared blankly at the empty air. It was all making sense now.

 

"So _that's_ where Barry was all day. How did I not fucking remember what Arin said? Ross had been in there since that fight he had…" He murmured to himself. "He must have been with Ross since the start of the week, especially since the Teachers barely supervise the Base anymore."

 

_'But why…? Are they friends again after everything that had happened?'_

 

"Huh. No wonder he didn't want anybody to know where he was, especially me…" He said under his breath, pushing through the door. "Does he think I'm going to stop him being friends with Ross? No, it's his life, he can do what he wants. It's not as if I stop Arin from talking to him, and they're best friends now…"

 

However, Dan couldn't shake off the terrified burn in his stomach when he saw Ross. _He_ couldn't trust Ross, no matter what Barry or Arin thought of him. Whatever they saw in him, Dan could see nothing but the hatred and fury. Ross' vow for revenge snapped inside his mind. He absolutely hated Dan more than anything, maybe more than his loyalty and love for his friends.

 

_'Oh God, he's not going to turn Arin and Barry against me, is he…?'_ He shivered as his breath hitched in his throat, his movements seized. _'Why can I see this ending so horribly?'_

 


	8. Chapter 8

Even after Arin left school for the day, he found it difficult to shake the tired weariness off his body, which stuck to him like a stubborn thistle. He stretched his arm over his back, recouping back some energy. The sun still hung high in the sky for early Autumn, but the chilly breeze brushing against the leaves above him, some of which were already yellow and red, was a reminder that it wasn't long until Winter began. The long, narrow park was eerily quiet, as Arin expected it to be full of other students enjoying the pleasant afternoon.

 A few people wandered around at the other side of the park, some of them walking their dogs, while others merely used it as a shortcut to get other places.

He turned to the side, about to ask Ross if he noticed the strange absence of people, before realising that he wasn't there. He fully turned his head behind his shoulder, and Ross hung behind him, his eyes half-hooded and staring at the ground. Before Arin could speak, he gave out a deep, muffled yawn.

 

"For God's sake, Ross, you've been yawning all day!" Arin exclaimed, slowing down until he was walking at Ross' pace. "You're looking more tired than usual these days."

 

Ross jerked awake with a grunt. He stared at Arin, blinking in surprise.

 

"Sorry- What?"

 

"Jesus, you're worse than I am!" Arin laughed, pushing down his growing concern and playfully shoving Ross' shoulder. "Do you even go to sleep at all?"

 

"Of course I do. I've just been up late, that's all." Ross replied, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He gave a soft smile. "I'm better than you, at least. You're the one who apparently fell asleep in Math today!"

 

"I suppose that's true..." Arin conceded. A hot wave of embarrassment hit him as his mind flashed back to that morning- He was up late with Dan again the night before, and barely got any sleep at all. Without Ross next to him in class to keep him from drifting off, the shock and shame of getting woken up by the teacher was enough to keep Arin from sleeping again for the rest of the day. Possibly the most embarrassing moment of his life. "But I have an excuse; I have a job to keep me busy almost every day." He read the time on his watch with a sigh. "…Which I have to go to in 2 hours."

 

 "Really? Almost _every_ day?" Ross echoed, stepping around an turned-over bin on the pavement and avoiding it’s disgusting remains. "How do you find time for anything?"

 

"Not very easily," He admitted, not looking at his friend, "but it's not as if I have a choice, y'know? Living by yourself is difficult, and I'm just grateful my Grandma is able to help me out for most of it…"

 

Ross simply nodded in agreement. "Do you have enough time to hang out in the park for a while?" He asked, seeming to notice Arin's discomfort with discussing his home life.

 

_'I'm glad he understands. He's a good friend, even though I've only known him for two weeks, but not everybody has to know everything in my life…'_

 

"Yeah, I'm sure I can." He replied. "It _is_ Friday. We deserve a bit of a break, _and_ it was your last day of solitary confinement in that horrible base." He turned to Ross. "How did you manage to not die of boredom in there? Like even _I_ would hate how quiet it is in there."

 

"Oh, yeah, I just sat there and did my work I guess…" He murmured, staring up at the browning leaves above him. "There wasn't much else to do."

 

Yet Ross' eyes gleamed with something else. However, before Arin could think about it, Ross swung his school bag off his shoulder and sat on one of the metal, rusting swings beside the path and the tall, paint-chipped slide. Arin did the same with the swing right next to it. Ross stretched his arm over his back with a grunt, before leaning his head back with a sigh.

 

"By the way, I can't remember if I said this before, but thanks for waiting for me at the front of school before I was allowed to leave."

 

Arin simply shrugged, he was more than willing to wait a few minutes for his friend. Besides, Ross _did_ thank him for waiting; was he that tired that he couldn't remember the things he said? He shook away the thought. It was none of his business, "Hey Ross, how come this place is so… Empty?"

 

"Because almost half the school won't come here." Ross murmured, slightly swinging back and forth on the swing. He caught Arin's confused and shocked gaze and hastily continued. "Oh, right, you weren't living here during the fight a few months ago."

 

"Fight? What fight?"

 

"The fight in this park." Ross answered as he stared up at the sky, speaking as if he was describing a normal day. "It was one of the worst I've ever been in." His blue eyes blazed as he recalled the battle, and he pushed his hands together until they were a few centremeters apart, "It ended when I was _this_ close to making Dan black out. He would have been out completely if I hadn't been jumped on, so Dan and his lot had just enough time to retreat. Now, hardly anybody wants to come down because of it. Too afraid of it, I think."

 

"You really do hate Dan, don't you..?" Arin mumbled out loud, half to himself. His heart lurched uncomfortably, he wanted to defend Dan, and the urged to do so pricked at him as if he was sitting in a bramble bush, but what could Arin say that could possibly help? Whether it was an accident or not, Dan had killed Ross' friend, and Ross was not going to forgive him for that. "Has it always been like that?"

 

"Yeah, I'd say so. Ever since I joined this school as a Freshman, really." Ross shrugged. "Started off with small things, I suppose. He got into fights with my closest friends, and I’d fight with _his_ closest friends, but then he got my Dad arrested even though he was the only family I had left- except my Uncle, of course, but I don't really consider him 'family' as much as he is just an alcoholic housemate, not to mention one of my closest friends died because of him..."

 

"Oh, right. I'm sorry for bringing it up." The image of Dan _and_ Ross both injured and bloodied from constant fighting tightened his throat, like he was swallowing past a stone stuck inside him. Being sent away obviously didn't help Dan with his behaviour. Even if it did, would things then be different between him and Ross?

 

"it wasn't your fault, Arin. It was _his_." Ross spat, narrowing his eyes. "Even though it's his last year of high school, it feels as if I can't get rid of him quickly enough."

 

Arin shuffled uncomfortably on his swing, regretting bringing up such a sensitive topic. Perhaps Ross had the right to dislike Dan, and besides it wasn't as if Arin had to stop liking either of them, right…? Instead of answering his own question, he watched the orange-brown scenery around him. His gaze scanning from one side to the other.  A figure on the other side of the park caught his attention. He stared at it, trying to focus on who it was. Within an instant, he recognised him.

 

"Brian?" He murmured out loud.

 

Ross immediately shot is head up. Arin nervously glanced at him, wondering how Ross would react. He kept his stare on Brian, who didn't seem to notice them, but Ross didn't look surprised.

 

"Like I said, _most_ students keep away." Ross said. "Brian _always_ goes through the park to get home. It would take him more than a fight for him to change his mind about anything. He’s an ass like that…"

 

Arin blinked, noticing how weak and wispy his voice was when he tried to insult Brian. Did he not mean what he was saying at all?

 

"Did you used to be friends with Brian, too? Like you and Barry were?"

 

"Jesus Christ, I don't even know…" Ross admitted with a shake of his head. "We were friends once, I think, but it didn't last long. It's… It's a long story…" Ross kept his empty gaze on Brian, revealing nothing in his face except for a clouded, forlorn stare.

 

"Well, don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me anything." Arin said, smiling comfortingly at him. Ross glanced at him for a short heartbeat, but the smile he gave was enough for Arin to know that Ross was grateful for his understanding.

 

After a long, silent moment of nothing, he fully turned to Arin as if nothing had happened. "Hey, you know the Nintendo 64 I won in the art competition I was talking about earlier? It finally came yesterday, _and_ it came with Super Mario 64."

 

"Seriously? That's awesome!" A mixture of envy and happiness spurred inside Arin, pushing the tense moment out of his mind. The console had only been out for a few months, and Arin wished more than anything to play on it.

 

"I know, right? I was so excited when I opened it that I accidentally woke my Uncle up, he had to come downstairs to tell me to quiet down." Ross purred, his eyes closed with amusement and joy. "You need to come over sometime and play it. I've only spent a few minutes on it because I was busy yesterday, but it's as fun as everybody says it was going to be!"

 

“I’ll come over as soon as I’m not busy; Holy shit, I know it’s going to be amazing!”

 

 

\---

 

Arin's shift ended agonisingly slow. He yawn as he sluggishly peddled his bike down the street. His hooded gaze focused on nothing as his exhausted body was ready to collapse. A sudden yelp snapped him awake. He stopped his bike, staring down a dark alleyway. Two voices merged in the dark, one obviously distressed. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he gasped with horror. A tall figure growled over Ross, who was pressed shivering against the wall, his eyes rounded with fear.

 

"Ross!" He called out, his instinct to help his friend surged a stream of energy through him. Before he could move, the tall figure looked up from Ross and stared at Arin, his rugged face squinted with confusion. Seeing him distracted, Ross slammed his body into the man, shoving him out the way with a grunt.

 

"Go! Go now!" Ross yowled, sprinting down the alley and onto the street. Arin biked to keep up with him, but his aching muscles could only go so fast. By the time they were at the end of the street, Ross looked behind him and slowed down to a stop, panting and leaning against a lamp post.

 

"Who… Who was that?" Arin asked in between breaths, holding his stomach.

 

"I-I don't know." Ross said, not lifting his gaze off the ground. "I was just trying to sleep, when he came up to me and threatened to stab me if I didn't hand over my wallet, b-but I didn't have anything in my bag so-"

 

"You were _sleeping?_ In an _alleyway?_ " Arin echoed, staring at him with sick confusion. "Why? Did your Uncle kick you out?"

 

"Not exactly…" Ross said, getting enough energy back to look up at Arin. "I was out until the evening, and by then he was so drunk that he passed out in his chair. He doesn't want to get an extra key for me, so if he can't hear me banging on the door, then tough shit I guess…"

 

"What a fucking piece of shit of a person..." Arin growled, half to himself. He gripped his handlebars, trying to control his anger towards the blatant neglect, and in such a dangerous Town. "Listen, man, if your Uncle ever makes you sleep on the streets again, stay over at my place- Fuck, just come over anytime. My apartment is pretty small, being a just a studio, but at least you'll be free from _him_ for a bit."

 

Ross blinked up at him with his head slightly tipped to the side, as if he was wondering if he heard right.

 

"Are you serious? Do you mean it?" He asked. When Arin nodded, his blue eyes lit up and a bright smile grew on his face. "Th-… Thank you, Arin! You have no idea how much that means to me."

 

"It's nothing, really." Arin shrugged. He burnt up with embarrassment, but he couldn't suppress his smile. "I mean, what else could I do? It's only a few minutes away from here."

 

Ross didn't reply as he walked beside Arin, but his grip on his backpack tightened. Through the edge of Arin's vision, Ross' hands lightly quivered, but his cool gaze stuck to the front.

 

_'Poor guy, I'm not surprised he's shivering.'_ Arin thought, his heart twisting in sympathy. _'He's good at hiding how scared he actually is- I wouldn't be able to keep walking if that happened to me.'_

 

Eventually, Arin locked up his bike in a wooden bike shed beside a tall, grey building, before walking in with Ross behind him. The dim light inside soothed him as he was out of the darkness, and Arin could feel Ross begin to relax beside him. He lead him up the dusty carpeted stairwell, treading lightly to not wake up the other tenants with the creaky wood.

 

"You might see my Landlady at some point, or maybe hear her because she's got a dog called Biscuit." Arin explained, stopping in front of a door. He jammed his key into the lack until it clicked open. "It's such a small dog, but you wouldn't believe the noises it makes. I once took it for a walk and it wouldn't stop barking at a leaf that fell in front of him."

 

Ross gave out an amused laugh as Arin opened the door. Arin tried to suppress his own light laughter as he switched on the light to his apartment. As he promised, his apartment was small- Easily describable as a bedroom with an en suit bathroom and kitchen. His grey tiled bathroom was to his left, and his kitchen was immediately to his right. It barely consisted of a microwave on a short counter, a fridge that just came up to Arin's waist, a few cupboards which he had been meaning to fill up for a few weeks, and a sink with a single cup in it. Arin lead Ross through the minute hallway, showing him his single bed on one end of the room and a sofa on the other end, along with a cluttered coffee table in front of the sofa and a few shelves stocked with a variety of objects.

 

"It's not much." Arin admitted, placing his bag on the edge of his table. "But it's alright."

 

Ross gazed around the room, and for a tense moment Arin wondered what he could say about it. To his surprise, Ross' eyes glittered with awe, "I think it's fantastic." He said, turning to a shelf packed with pens, pencils, rubbers and stacks of paper with sketches on them. "I've never seen your art before, Arin- outside of school, I mean. You're really good in class."

 

"Thanks, I've been practising since I was young." He replied, smiling to himself at his friend's praise. He padded towards Ross and pulled out a piece of paper with a detailed drawing. "This one's Link from _Link's Awakening_. The game is 2 years old now, when do you think they're going to release a new one?"

 

"There's rumours that a new one will come out of the N64. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I hope it is."

 

Arin murmured in agreement before putting the paper back down. He hadn't drawn in quite a while. Perhaps he should get back into it soon. According to his watch, it was half eleven at night, and he was exhausted from his day at school and his shift at work. He _had_ to go to sleep. Sluggishly, he stumbled towards the wardrobe beside his bed, leaving Ross to continue gazing at this collection of things, and pulled out the soft blanket at the bottom of it. The dark blue blanket once belonged at his Grandma's house, but was given to him for the colder months. He stood motionlessly. The warm scents that reminded Arin of his ill kin still lingered on the material, tugging painfully at Arin's heart, who knows if she'll ever get better?

 

"Hey, did you do the math homework due on Monday?" He asked the first thing that could distract him, shaking himself out of his stance. He padded back to Ross' side after placing the blanket on the sofa, and Ross nodded.

 

"Yeah, it's in my bag if you want to see it." He said, taking off the bag from his shoulders. "It's not too hard, but I had Barry to help me-" He cut himself off, freezing in his position. He slowly blinked up at Arin, his eyes rounded with dismay and regret, "I...I didn't say that. Forget I said anything."

 

Arin narrowed his eyes in confusion, unable to speak for a heart beat. "I don't understand," He said at last. "Are you and Barry talking again now?" He knew of Ross' feelings for Barry, but he thought that Barry felt nothing but spite for him. At least, that was the impression he got when he first met Barry just under two weeks ago.

 

Ross stared at the bag in his hands, and stood in complete silence. His nervous, shaky breath was just noticeable, in spite of the muffled droning of the City beside them. Then, after what felt like years, Ross murmured out,

 

"I can't lie to you, Arin. Not about something like this," He looked back up at him, and the guilt and sorrow built up from keeping secrets brimmed in his face. "Yes, Barry and I are friends again- More than that, actually. I love Barry, more than anything in the World, and he loves me too. I've been with him almost every night since Monday, that's why I've been so tired, I just didn't want to say because... I didn't know if you'd hate me for it, but you had to know the truth."

 

For a long moment, Arin could only stand and stare at Ross. His mouth hung slightly open, but his words failed him. Ross slowly turned back to the ground, and his face flushed red with embarrassment and guilt.

 

"Ross, I'm not going to hate you just because you love Barry." Arin said, his voice soft with comfort. Ross snapped his rounded gaze back up, and Arin suppressed his humoured laughter at Ross' surprised face. "Whoever you love- and whoever you are- I'll always be your friend, and nothing will change that."

 

He held Ross' brimming gaze, and the tears in his eyes made them glimmer like the stars. Although it shook, Ross smiled at Arin. He closed his eyes, shivering and overwhelmed with relief, "Thanks, Arin. I'm so glad you feel that way."

 

"I was raised with human decency, unlike too many people in this town." Arin said with a shrug. He didn't plan on telling Ross about his feelings for Dan, at least not yet. For some reason, he didn't expect Ross to understand any positive opinion towards the tall, proud boy. "Besides, you don't remember telling me you love Barry before, do you?"

 

"I-I did what?" Ross immediately snapped his eyes open again

 

"It was only last Sunday. You were so drunk when I found you, I didn't expect you to remember anything." Arin nudged his friend with his shoulder, unable to stifle his amused smile. "Don't worry, I didn't tell anybody- not even you."

 

"Oh my God, did I say anything bad?" Ross asked, his voice muffled as he hid his face behind his bag. "I wish I could watch what I say when I'm drunk."

 

"You barely said anything that I could understand, your accent really shines out when you've been drinking." He purred, gently pushing Ross' bag away from his pink face. "Listen, I know it's the weekend and everything, but I'm really fucking exhausted..."

 

"Say no more, I'm tired as well." Ross said with a yawn, his half hooded gaze slowly began to cloud with sleepiness. "By the way, I know I said this before but... Thanks, again. I owe you my life..."

 


	9. Chapter 9

Arin stretched his stiff arm over his desk, gaping out an exhausted yawn. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, as half-watched his maths teacher explain a complicated diagram on the board. His attention slowly focused to the window beside him, and his teacher's words bored him like a lullaby. Like every Monday morning, he had two back-to-back maths classes until the start of lunch time. He yawned again, and when he glanced back at the front, the teacher was already sat at her desk and the students around him were already reading out of their textbooks, talking quietly to each other.

 

_'Fuck- what's happening?'_

 

He shook himself awake, and the classroom door quietly opened. A jolt of delighted energy flashed through Arin as Ross came in. He closed the door behind him, and didn't look or speak to the teacher as he walked past her desk to sit next to Arin. The teacher didn't look up either, instead she simply ignored Ross' lateness and sipped the coffee on the desk.

 

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming in." Arin said. Ross pulled up his bag and picked out his math textbook. His face flushed red, and his chest heaved tiringly.

 

"I overslept." He explained between deep breaths, "I had to run all the way here."

 

Arin tried to stifle a laugh of amusement, as Ross rested his head against the desk with a groan, "You need to sleep earlier." He purred, receiving a cold glare from Ross.

 

"Well, you need to mind your own business, but that’s clearly not happening." Ross retorted, but he didn't hide his humoured smile. "Do you know what work we're doing right now?"

 

"Nope."  
 

"Alright then." Ross leant his head back onto the desk, "To be honest, I don't think the teacher cares much either."

 

Arin glanced at the front, and noticed that she looked almost as exhausted as Ross and Arin put together. If she was too tired, she'd probably not notice either Arin or Ross doing their work.

 

"You know, she might not even mind if we just left the classroom." Ross whispered to Arin, his eyes narrowed with a plan.

 

Arin snapped his surprised gaze at Ross. He hadn't suggested the two of them miss a class since the 2nd day they met almost a month ago.

 

"Oh, come on, Arin! It'll be fun." He pushed, already grabbing the shoulder strap of his bag. "Just follow me."

 

"Ok, fine." Arin replied with a resigned sigh. “I’ve yet to see you think twice about any stupid idea you’ve come up with, and if _you_ get to miss school then I'm not staying in here."

 

The two of them stood up with their bags and stopped in front of the teacher's desk,

 

"Arin and I have dentist appointments now." He said. Ross' ability to lie so easily barely surprised Arin at this point. "May we go?"

 

The teacher murmured something in reply, but nodded half-heartedly as if she was clearly not listening. Arin and Ross quickly got out of the classroom, and closed the door behind them as they entered the long, empty hallway.

 

"See? Too easy." Ross purred with satisfaction. "Now if anybody complains, we can say that our teacher let us go. We can't get in trouble for that."

 

"You always seem to get yourself into trouble, no matter what you do." Arin said, nudging his friend with his shoulder.

 

"I do not!" Ross protested, widening his eyes with mock offence. He smiled as he continued. "All the teachers think I'm a delight."

 

"Yeah, sure. I'm sure Mr Tyler would agree with you."

 

"He was wrong about an author and I just corrected him. Not my fault he took offence."

 

"You literally called him a _'fucking idiot'_. I'm just surprised you haven't been expelled."

 

"One day, Arin. One day." Ross purred, his eyes glittering with amusement. The two of them sped up as they exited the school gates and onto the busy street. "What should we do now?"

 

He narrowed his eyes as he thought, and seconds later he turned back to Arin with a smile. "My Uncle won't be in for the entire morning. We can play video games for a couple hours."

 

"Awesome, let's go." He walked beside Ross, ignoring the cars that sped past them on the road, before remembering an important detail. "Although I need to get back to school just before Lunchbreak ends. I've got an… Important History lesson."

 

Ross hummed a reply, but then blinked up at Arin. Something flickered in his blue gaze, but Arin couldn't tell what it was. "Right." He murmured, his voice suddenly quiet and hard. "Dan is in your history class."

 

"I've got Barry, as well." Arin countered, although he heard how weak his voice was. Ross knew that Arin wanted to see Dan, and there was no point denying it.

 

For a couple on tense seconds, Ross didn't reply. His clouded gaze suddenly cleared, and he blinked as if nothing happened, "Don't worry, we have plenty of time."

 

"…How are you and Barry?" Arin asked after a heavy moment of silence, desperately wanting to push the subject of Dan away. His tense body relaxed when Ross smiled brightly again.

 

"Amazing- These past two weeks have been amazing." He sighed breathlessly, his narrow shoulders sagging. "You don't understand how happy I am with him. It's more than easy to sneak him in at night without waking up my Uncle, and he's so easy to talk to for hours. We start talking about anything at night and the next thing I know, the sun is rising. He's so kind, and sweet, and I forgot how much I really love being with him before- If you hadn't have convinced me to try and speak to him again, I don't know what I'd be doing." He ended with a purr, before his face suddenly flushed bright red. He hid his face in his hands, and muffled out a low groan. "God damn- I went on for too long. I'm so sorry."

 

"It's fine, Ross. You can talk about Barry all you want." Arin said as he tried to suppress his laughter. As amusing at it was, Arin wasn't sure if there was anybody else Ross could talk about Barry to, especially in such a way like that. "It's refreshing to hear you say nice things about people for once."

 

_'Does Dan think of me like that?'_ He couldn't help wondering. Even the flash image of Dan talking about Arin in such a soft and gentle way made his heart beat sharpen. He gazed out at the distance, his vision clouded by his thoughts, _'If Dan loves me half as much as I love him, I'll be the luckiest man in the World…'_

 

"…Arin? Arin!"

 

Arin jumped awake with a start. He snapped his head towards Ross, only to turn away with shame, "Sorry, what?"

 

"Come on, man. You say I can talk about shit, and then you don't listen." Ross shook his head, but his smile didn't dampen, nor did his blushing face. "Don't worry about it, I was mostly rambling."

 

Arin nodded, trying to think of a reply. Ross suddenly stopped to a halt, and Arin stopped beside him. He looked at Ross with confusion, who only matched his gaze with a glint in his eyes.

 

"Arin, I know this is an awkward question but… Do you _like_ Dan? You know what I mean…" He shuffled uncomfortably in his stance, and glanced away for a short second. "You know I couldn't judge you for liking another guy…"

 

_'Would you judge me for liking_ Dan _, though?'_ Arin tried to swallow past his dried throat, "No, of course not." He lied. Ross looked back up at him, his eyes as sharp as flint.

 

"You would tell me if you did though, right?"

 

The lump in Arin's throat hardened.

 

"Yes. Yes, I would."

 

 

\---

 

Without the moon during the late night, streetlights lit the gravelly roads of the city with an unnatural copper light. Cars blared down the street, their engines echoing off the empty, still buildings, before falling into silence again.

The bright headlights made Arin squint. He rubbed his eyes painfully. Despite Autumn just starting, the chill of the night began to sting his body. Crossing his arms over his chest, he clenched his jaw as a shudder gripped his body.

He had been sitting on a rough, wooden bench since he finished his work shift, almost an hour ago. Mostly too exhausted to go home, since his bike's tire flattened and he had to do his job without it, but also not _wanting_ to go home. Even after living in the Town of West Elkton for several months, there was almost no comfort in his small apartment. The only thing that made him feel safe and content was Dan, but Arin could never tell if he'd be in class or not. Dan wasn't there for the entire day, and he wasn't sure why.

 

_'It's not my home. This place will never be my home.'_ He thought to himself bitterly, watching the few stars he could see in the sky. For a moment, he pictured his old home down the south of California, with his parents and friends beside him. His heart warmed with joy. Sweet memories of his youth flashed through his mind; going out with his family during the day, playing video games with his best friend throughout the night, drawing in his sketchbook in the time he had to spare, and only caring about the short piece of homework that was due…

 

A screeching police siren snapped Arin away from his daydream. His stomach dropped, as if a ball of ice fell through it- What made him happy could never be brought back again: Neither his mother or father could talk to him ever again; His friend moved to a different state years ago, and Arin wasn't sure if he'd ever see him again; his motivation to draw- his motivation for almost _anything_ \- slowly drained away after he moved away. Everything was gone.

Choking back a cry of despair, he sunk his head into his hands. His shoulders ached with the weight of his grief.

 

_'How the fuck am I supposed to keep going like this…?'_

 

"Hey, Arin! Over here!"

 

A familiar voice caught Arin's attention. He looked up, as Brian and Barry crossed the road over to him. Barry's bright smile was barely hidden in the dim lightning, and while Brian's facial expression didn't change his blue eyes softened from their usual icy glint. Both their dark, thistle-y hair glimmered with a silver wash in the moonlight. A strange sense of warmth comforted Arin, perhaps he wasn't completely alone after all, "What are you doing out?"

 

"Oh, hey guys, I'm just…" Arin couldn't think of an excuse, but he didn't want to talk about his low mood. "I'm just out, I guess…"

 

"This late?" Barry questioned, his impressed eyes widening. "I wish I could get away with things like that, makes me wish I lived by yourself…"

 

Brian glanced at Barry with a hardened gaze, as if to warn him not to say anything else. How did Brian know of the sensitive subject? Arin simply grunted in reply, at the time it didn't matter what Brian knew, or how he knew it. Besides, Barry was right to be surprised. Perhaps he _should_ be getting home...

 

"Yeah, I'm about go home now, actually." He stood up from the cold bench, wincing as he stretched his stiff muscles. "It's not too far, I only live near New Buxton road."

 

Brian and Barry exchanged a surprise, worried glance.

 

"By yourself? This late? Arin, you'll get mugged- if you're _lucky_ \- or killed!" Barry exclaimed, turning back to Arin.

 

Arin blinked in surprise; he had been so distracted by his thoughts that he almost forgot about the dangers of the night. Before he could say anything, Brian interjected,

 

"Barry and I are going that direction anyway, how about we take the shortcut through the Catacombs? You'll be much safer with us."

 

"The _Catacombs?_ " Arin gasped, staring at Brian in disbelief. He stiffened with fear, remembering the stories of people getting lost in such complicated mazes in Europe.

 

"Relax, Arin. They're not too complicated once you know where you're going- They're really just glorified tunnels, really." Barry said, smiling with amusement. "Brian and I have spent far too many hours in there to not know where to go."

 

"Well, in that case, I'd appreciate it." Arin said, following the two as they started walking down the darkened street. Arin walked beside Brian, and curiosity brimmed inside him.

 

"So why did they build catacombs underneath the City?" He asked.

 

"It was an easier way to transport criminals to Jail without the risk of them running off, or causing more havoc." Brian replied, he glanced at Arin, his silver-blue eyes glinted in the faint light. "Did you know that our High School used to be a Jail before they changed it?"

 

"No, I didn't, although it makes sense…" Arin murmured. He followed the two turn a corner, and a damaged stairwell leading into the ground stood laid flat along the ground. Beside the stairwell posted a torn, metal sign, and Arin couldn't read what it said except for the words _'DANG-'_ in bold letters.

 

_'That really helps. Great…'_ Arin groaned inwardly. He glanced down the bottom of the stairwell, and could only see heaps of litter in the dim lighting that was installed at the bottom. He suppressed a shudder of unease, but Barry gently nudged him on the arm.

 

"I thought it was creepy at first, "He whispered to Arin, leading him down the echoing stairs. "but it's ok, trust me."

 

Arin continued down the stairs, until a long, drawn-out screech bounced off the walls. He jumped up with fright, staring at the bottom on the stairwell- What's down there? He instantly stiffened, his heart ramming inside his chest.

 

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention that many people come down here at night. Some from our gang, some from others, we'll be fine." Brian said, his head turned as he tried to hide his sneer. "Just keep going."

 

Hot with embarrassment, Arin forced his shoulders to relax and reached the bottom of the stairs. He then whipped his glare towards Brian, who simply held it with a steady gaze.

 

"You did that on purpose." He growled, his skin prickling with irritation and shame.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Brian purred with a smirk, watching Arin with a smug gaze as he walked past him.

Huffing through his nose, Arin continued to walk beside Barry and Brian deeper into the wide, long tunnel. The reek of rodents and urine on the dirty, sticky stone floor hit Arin, almost making him gag. Colourful, graffiti-painted walls had small speckles of grey where the original paint was, and the connection between the wall and the floor was patched with black, damp mould.  He glanced at Barry and Brian, who seemed unaffected by the retching scent or the sight, before staring down the dimly-lit tunnel in front of him. A splashing puddle made Arin look down, a small stream of murky water ran across the side of the tunnel.

 

"Be careful down here during a storm." Brian warned, stepping around another large puddle. "These tunnels tend to flood, and you have no chance getting rescued down here."

 

Eventually, the tunnel came to a fork way, where three different tunnels continued. Shouts and muffled music came from every direction.

 

"This way." Brian said, nodding towards the tunnel leading right. Arin quickly followed, walking closely by Brian's and Barry's side. They briskly walked down the tunnel, making another turn at a left, then a right, then another left. Arin couldn't help but wonder if they were lost, yet the bouncing calls and music seemed to get clearer and louder with each turn.

 

Then, as they stepped around the next corner, Arin widened his eyes as the groups of people, almost all of them being teenagers, lounging about near the edges of the walls. Music blared through the long tunnels, and all the voices echoed into one unison yelp. Arin knew a few people in his classes, but there were many he couldn't see clearly enough in the dim, flustered environment.

He caught the eye of a couple of students he vaguely recognised, and their eyes were glazed with curiosity and wariness as they walked by. They gave a small nod of recognition, surprising Arin.

 

"What’s up with them? They look terrified." Arin murmured. He glanced at Brian, who nodded back to the group.

 

"They're part of the gang, so they know us." He said simply, before looking forward again.

 

"But I don't know _them!_ I'm not even part of Dan's gang, technically, I'm just… Kinda here." Arin said, shrugging. He didn't really _want_ to be recognised by them, especially if they did it because they thought Arin was part of something.

 

"They've seen you hang around with Dan." Brian added, his voice coolly monotone as usual, which never failed to freak Arin when it was inappropriate. "They obviously see you as somebody they should respect- or fear- if Dan trusts you. Being such close friends with Ross will probably get you attention as well."

 

Something about Brian's sudden voice change in the last sentence unsettled Arin; Cold and rough, like rocks grinding together. He blinked at him, before realising Brian wasn't looking at him.

 

He was glaring at Barry.

 

Arin side-glanced at Barry to see if he noticed. He simply stared at a tagged wall, but the tension in his clenched jaw told Arin he knew about Brian's hostility, and possibly knew _why_ too…

He shook the thought off. He had never seen the two so much as fight, an Arin could only recall a few instances where they _weren't_ together.

 

_'It's probably nothing'_ He decided in the end. Although with each step, he couldn't help wondering what Brian knew, and what he could do with it.

 

-

 

"Anyway, we'll see you tomorrow."

 

Now they were out of the tunnels, Barry and Brian waved good-bye to Arin as they parted ways. The open streets were darker than what Arin expected, especially after being surrounded by light for a short while, but he knew his way home well enough.

Arin waved good-bye back, and began walking down the street. However, just after he turned his first corner he froze,

 

_'Ah shit, I forgot to ask Brian where we're meeting tomorrow!'_ Arin realised, drooping his shoulders. How could he forget his tutoring session? He looked behind his shoulder, and his body ached at the thought of doing anything else except sleeping. _'But Brian would only get more annoying if I was late, and it'll only take a few minutes to find them again.'_

 

Turning back, he picked up his pace through the eerily silent streets. Staring at the corner where he knew Barry and Brian would walk around, he briskly made his way across the road and towards it. As he drew closer, he realised there were two shadows painted on the pavement, and a hissing, muffled voice.

He stopped to a halt a few feet away from the corner. Unease crawled up his spine. Was that Barry and Brian arguing? But _why_ would they argue? Arin had hardly even see two friends so close, yet his mind whirled back to Brian's cold glare just not long before.

 

"-I _know_ about you and Ross!" Arin immediately recognised Brian's rough voice. Shock seized Arin- How did Brian find out? He must have been told, or saw them together…

 

"How the fuck do you know that?" Barry sounded more angry than surprised, but the slight warble in his tone assured Arin that he was frightened over what Brian knew- and could _do_. "Well, so what? Why does it matter?"

 

"Why does it _matter?_ Barry, do you not know how much Ross and Danny hate each other? They would _kill_ each other if they had the chance!" Brian's bark softened into a growl. "How could you do this to him? Dan's already paranoid enough about Ross getting him, do you think he wants his best friend to join in as well?"

 

"How dare you imply that I'm going to stab Dan in the back? Ross likes me for who I am, not because of who I know!" Barry spat back, making Arin jump back at the fury in his voice. He was usually so calm, "Do you think I'd take such a risk as loving another guy if I wasn't sure about what I was doing?"

 

"I don't know how you trust him, Barry. How could you after he tried to _kill me_ to get back at Dan?"

 

Arin's blood ran cold. Ross tried to do _what?_ Suddenly he recalled the long scars over Brian's shoulder. Did Ross do that?

 

"He didn't-… He didn't mean to do it…" Barry's voice, which was first cold and furious, slowly faltered into nothing. "Besides, Arin is friends with him and Dan doesn't care- and _you_ used to be friends with Ross too! You seemed to have trusted him back then!"

 

"That's different!" Arin could hear Brian taking a step back. Information whirled inside Arin's head, making him dizzy. "Arin doesn't love Ross- and _I_ don't love him. I've _never_ loved him."

 

_'Who said you used to love him?'_ Arin asked himself, taking a step backwards from the arguing friends. _'Did Barry say that? God, I don't even know at this point.'_

 

"My point is..." Barry's scathing voice sounded as exhausted as it was livid. "I love Ross, and he loves _me_ \- I don't care what you have to say about it, and If you tell Dan- or anybody else- about us then… Then, fuck you, Brian!"

 

Not wanting to hear their argument anymore, Arin quickly turned back down the street. He constantly glanced behind him, praying that they didn't know he was there. The further way he got, the clearer his head felt. However, a few questions still buzzed in his mind that he couldn't silence. Questions that he didn't know the answer to,

 

_'If everybody finds out about Ross and Barry, what will happen to them?'_ He thought, the dread gripped his stomach to the point it might've ripped. _'Brian must know how much power he has over the two right now, but he's not going to deliberately hurt them… Is he?'_

 

He knew Brian well enough to know he could be a jerk, and had a sadistic humour, but could he really be that horrible? Arin wasn't sure, and tried to not think about how he'll very soon find out the answer.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now for the chapter almost everybody reads fanfics for- Kinda

Arin stared out the foggy car window, although he couldn't see a thing through the dark and rain. The roar of rain and thunder rumbled in his ears. He winced at the sound burrowing in his ears.

 

"I hate the sound of thunder…" He murmured, unsure if he spoke out loud or not. He turned his gaze away from the window and to the driver beside him. "Dan, since when could you drive a car?"

 

Dan seemed to have ignored him, and instead kept his eyes on the road.

 

"Dan…?" Arin repeated, his voice almost breaking. Something was wrong. _Everything_ was wrong. His heart began to thump furiously inside his chest, matching the sound of the thunder. His chest tightened painfully, making him clutch the fabric of his shirt. He tried to cough, but he couldn't move his chest. His lungs burnt on the inside. "Dan- Dan! I can't breathe!" He managed to choke out. Lightning flashed across the sky, and the wind and rain screeched in his ears.

 

_'Dan, help me!'_ He tried to scream, but he couldn't move, speak, or breath. Panic surged through his body, he trembled as he stared around the terrifyingly familiar car. _'What's going on? Someone stop this!'_

 

Above the screaming wind and his rushing heartbeat, a loud, petrifying horn drew closer and closer. The noise seized Arin like ice.

 

_'No! No!'_ His chest begged for air. He stared at Dan, who was looking at him back, his stare blank and empty. A heartbeat later, the car lit up like headlights. The screeching of tires and ear-splitting horn deafened Arin's ears. He closed his eyes shut. _'Dan!'_

 

 An agonisingly real force crashed into him, throwing the car across the dark road. Bile rose to his throat. He was finally able to move. He writhed uncontrollably, choking back a scream. Thunder shrieked at him.

 

"Dan!" His eyes shot open. He heaved as air surged back into his lungs. He stared around wildly, "Dan!" What was happening? Another crash of thunder brought him back. He clutched the bed sheets in front of him as he quivered. Still panting, he collapsed onto his back, which was damp and cold with sweat.

 

_'It was a dream. It was a dream.'_ He repeated to himself. A few moments later, his breathing was back to normal, but he couldn't control his shivering, or sweating, or his erratic heart. _'It was a dream. It was just a dream.'_

 

A flash of lightning made him jerk, reminding him too much of the car crash. He covered his face and head with his pillow, desperately trying to block out the sounds.

 

_'The thunder can't hurt you. It can't hurt you.'_ He told himself repeatedly. _'But what about Dan? Is he OK?'_

 

Another burst of panic shot through him, but he tried to push it down. _'Of course he's ok. It was a dream. Dan isn't dead. He's not dead.'_

 

Peeping out the safety of his pillow, he glanced at the time on his bed-side clock. It was 4:15am.

 

_'Get back to sleep. Back to sleep.'_ He told himself, desperately trying to sooth his aching chest. What if something happened to Dan? _'We'll see Dan at school. He's fine. He can't be dead. He can't die!'_

 

_'For the love of God, don't let anything happen to him!'_

 

-

The next morning was a dull haze. Arin wasn't sure if he did get back to sleep, or if he remained in a panic-fuelled fever dream. The damp, grey town blurred around him as he slowly biked through the familiar street to his school. It was barley 15 minutes away from his apartment, but the distance felt miles.

 

Dan shot through his head every second. His blank, dead gaze in the car that killed Arin's parents- it was as if Arin lost him again. A cold chill shuddered down his back.

 

"What a God-awful dream…" He groaned to himself, wiping the sleep out of his eyes again. "I haven't dreamt about that car for months- and even then, Dan wasn't in it…"

 

Eventually, the school came into view. Students dragged themselves In through the doors, as buses and cars pulled in at the front. He pulled himself off his bike, pushing it towards the metal bike docks where they were kept for the day. His bike ached his exhausted muscles as if it was made of lead. Arin locked his bike and, with a low wail, hid his face from the World. He stared at the ground. Why couldn't everything just stop.

 

_'Am I that afraid of losing him again? That’s it, I'm not going into school. I don't care what the teachers say anymore. I can't bring myself to care…'_

 

"Man, Arin. You look like you slept in a bramble bush!"

 

A purr-y voice made Arin snap his gaze up. His heart jumped when he saw Dan walk across the road over to him. His smile was bright, although his eyes were tired and hooded. He padded over to Arin, who's body almost collapsed under him in relief and exhaustion.

 

_'He's ok- I knew he was ok!'_

 

Arin tottered a few feet towards him, before burying his head against Dan's shoulder. Dan squeaked in surprise, but a few seconds later he gently curled his arms around Arin's back, pulling him closer. Arin closed his eyes, as Dan's touch sent sparks down his body, yet also soothing him beyond anything Arin had known.

 

"Arin? Are you ok?" Dan asked as softly as cotton, but he didn't hide the surprised concern in his voice.

 

"No." Arin admitted, his voice slightly muffled by the fabric of Dan's shirt. He hugged Dan with a protective grip. "God, no. Couldn't sleep- Nightmares." He trailed off into a murmur, but Dan comfortingly rubbed his cheek across Arin's like a cat.

 

"It's alright, you're awake now." Dan purred, gingerly pulling away until he could look Arin in the eyes. "I didn't get much sleep either. Want to take a break from school today? I think we deserve it?"

 

"Yes. Holy shit, yes!"

 

 

\---

The setting sun painted the woodland with an amber-ish coat, even turning the brown bark and falling leaves into a light orange. Gazing around at the scenery, Dan lead him through the dying woodland. Only a few birds chirped, echoing off the dense canopy. Pine and Cedar trees overshadowed the heavy shrubbery, marking the edges of the narrow deer trail below in a shadow. For the entire day, Dan showed Arin his favourite places to relax, including the arcade and video game store, but only now were they anywhere near a forest.

A carpet of leaves rustled beneath their feet, giving off its mulchy scent as they stepped through it. Twigs snapped as they were pushed out the way.

 

"Dan, where are we going?" Arin asked, staring up at the partly bare tree top as a squirrel raced across the creaking branches

 

"I want to show you a secret." Dan responded, glimpsing behind his shoulder at Arin, the dim lighting just showing his smile. "I've been wanting to show you for a while, but it's best going up there when it starts getting dark.

 

_'Where's 'there', then?'_ Arin thought to himself. He knew if he asked out loud, he wouldn't be given an answer. Instead, he walked beside Dan, ignoring the darkness that was slowly setting in. As they continued, a river current roared in the distance, slowly at first before gradually getting louder.

The trees around Dan and Arin began to fade out, revealing a rocky shore of grey and silver at the bottom of a short slope. Dark water ran through the ravine, with patches of froth building up near the shoreline. A long, thick tree laid across the ravine, acting as a bridge between the two banks.

Dan lead Arin down the stone shore, and immediately leapt onto the tree. Arin stopped beside the tree, watching with awe as Dan gracefully padded across, nimbly avoiding the snapped-away nubs where branches once grew, as if he was walking on land.

 

Dan turned his head, tipping his head in confusion, "What's wrong?" He called out, half way across. "It's alright, Arin. Just walk across."

 

Arin crawled onto the tree, trying to hide his shivering. He crouched low, before slowly edging himself to stand straighter. The rushing current screamed in his ears, making it all too easy to imagine falling in. His body ran cold, as if he just hit the water.

 

"Arin?" Dan called out, but Arin didn't look up from the river. "It's not even that deep. It would barely go up to your chest."

 

"Thank you, Dan." Arin grumbled sarcastically, making Dan purr with laughter. He glanced up from the dark river, and Dan carefully walked towards him with his hand forward.

 

"Want some help?" He offered. After a long moment, Arin sighed away his pride and held onto Dan's hand. Dan slowly lead Arin across the tree, and Arin gradually grew more confident over the rough bark.

The two jumped off the end of the tree, narrowly missing the thick roots that sprawled into the air.

 

"See? Wasn't too bad, was it?"

 

"I'm just glad I'm on the other side." Arin sighed with relief, but a heartbeat later he realised he still held onto Dan's hand. He let go, and an embarrassed wave of heat burnt his face. Dan didn't react, but instead just continued leading Arin through the forest.

 

The two casually talked about school and other events, until the ground slowly began to rise up against a slope. Arin looked up, and the pink-orange horizon was shrinking under a dark blue night-sky, with a few bright stars speckling early.

 

"How often do you come up here?" Arin asked. A tall, steep slope stood in front of them, and a narrow deer trail threaded through the thin trees on the hill like a snake. He inwardly groaned at the tall climb. It would take _ages_ to get to the top!

 

"Not very often, I hate the trail as much as you do." Dan said, smirking at the displeasure on Arin's face. "I do, however, love the top, and I think you will as well."

 

Without waiting for a reply, Dan began padding up the trail. Arin followed by his side, occasionally kicking small pebbles down the side of the slope. The path became lit up in the silvery moonlight faster than Arin expected.

 

"…It's weird seeing Brian and Barry not get along. It's been about a week since I last saw them within a few feet of each other, let alone speak to each other."

 

Dan's sudden comment surprised Arin. Were they still not on speaking terms? He didn't reply, so Dan continued,

 

"I've never seen them act so coldly to each other like this. Before, you'd hardly ever see them apart, and now they're just… Pretending the other doesn't exist." A shudder shook his body, and Arin could see the great deal of stress and concern Dan felt for his two closest friends. "And I don't even know why, _neither_ of them will tell me anything. They just say that it's nothing important, but I thought nothing could break off their friendship…"

 

"It's pretty sad to see it." Arin agreed with a sigh. He hung his head as guilt shot through him; he knew why Barry and Brian had fallen out- _mostly_ \- but he knew there was no way he could tell Dan without betraying Barry's secret. His mind flashed back to that night, and a remaining question lingered in his mind,

 

"Dan, can I ask you a question?" He slowly asked, to which Dan sagged against a tree, holding his stomach as he rasped.

 

"Man, I'm getting old.." He joked with a small smile. He rolled his head at Arin, too exhausted to keep it up straight. "What's up?"

 

"Did anything happen between Brian and Ross when they were at Summer camp?"

 

Dan's head shot up, his eyes rounded with surprise. For a long moment, he said nothing as he blinked at him, as if he was trying to figure out who informed Arin. "I'm not really sure, since I was the only one not there."

 

"But something did happen, didn't it..?

 

Dan slowly turned away. He looked back at the path in front of him, and Arin half expected him not to answer.

 

"From what I've heard, Ross and Brian were really close for a short while. Specifically, during the 4 weeks of that camp. They hated each other before, but then one day they just... Became friends," He began quietly. "They were paired together for this scavenger hunt thing, and I guess being alone for a day got them talking, and they both realised they had a lot in common."

 

"Do they?"

 

"I'd say so, they're both pretty sadistic and are obsessed with video games. Brian said that they're both smart, but I can't see it in Ross. Barry told me they barely left each other's side after that, and the fact they shared a cabin probably helped." Dan continued. Arin slowly nodded, they did have a similar sense of humour, and Ross never said anything cruel about Brian, or anything even slightly mean for that matter, but…

 

"But now they hate each other. That must be awful." Arin sighed, a pang of sympathy shot through his chest, especially for Ross. Another close friends lost, for seemingly no reason.

 

"Actually, I… I don't think they do. At least, Brian doesn't hate Ross." His gaze bored into Arin's in the dim light, as if this secret had been gnawing at him for years with no escape. "I'm only telling you this because I trust you, but I think Brian still likes Ross in one way or another. He's always acted strange when I talk about him, he insists nothing happened even if I don't mention it. Then a few months back, when Ross attacked him, he said that he didn't know who was doing it but he _did._ Then he said he didn't want anyone else involved, but Ross almost _killed_ him! Why would he protect Ross to such an extent if he hated him?"

 

Dan sagged back into the tree, his head bowed like he was exhausted. Arin narrowed his eyes, his mind whirling as he tried to process what Dan just told him. Something flickered inside his head, and he gasped with understanding.

 

"Do you think he's in love with Ross?" He asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

 

"I don't know for sure, but I don't see any other way. Brian truly cares for his friends, don't get me wrong, but he doesn't care for us to _that_ extent."

 

"Oh, the poor dude..." Sympathy jabbed at his heart. Perhaps that was another reason why Brian was so angry at Barry. After all, If somebody was in a relationship with Dan, Arin knew he'd be just as frustrated.

 

"Mhmm…" Dan murmured in agreement. He drew in a deep breath, before he slowly blew through his nose. The silence seemed to drag on, until he looked at Arin with a gaze that glittered in the faint moonlight. "Let's just forget about it for now. We're almost at the top." Picking up his pace, he lead Arin up the trail, which very slowly straightened into a flat surface again.

 

As the trees began to pan out into a clearing, Arin paused at the top to catch his breath. The ground below him was no longer a carpet of grass and dirt, and was instead stony and gritty. It was the peak of a cliff. He glanced around, and the edge of the cliff cornered into a single point in front of them. Dan sat down on a flat rock in front of him, and when Arin stood beside him, the entire valley and mountains came into view.

The town at the bottom of the valley was lit up, but from the distance it looked like fireflies dancing in the air. The mountains stood behind it, their peaks white with snow and ice. The full moon hovered just over the horizon, and the entire scene shined with a silver glow.

 

"I love coming up here during the full moon." Dan said when Arin sat down beside him. He turned to him, warmth gleaming in his eyes. "Don't you think it's awesome to look at?"

 

"It is." He nodded, the silence of the forest, except for the soft breeze, eased Arin. The side of his body that touched Dan was warm, and to his delight Dan didn't pull away. He pressed his head against Dan's shoulder, who then wrapped his arm around Arin's back and held him tightly. Despite his racing heartbeat and the flushing heat inside him, the outside world ceased to exist for Arin as his only thoughts consisted of Dan. His body, that was usually aching with stress, was content and calm. He couldn't feel any pain. In the amidst of his peace, a soft whisper escaped from him,

 

"I love you, Dan…"

 

"You what?"

 

Arin immediately jerked himself away from Dan. He looked away from Dan and stared at the ground, but he could feel Dan's shocked gaze on him.

 

"Nothing. I said nothing!" He insisted, his pitch lurching up and down. He his face in embarrassment and shame scorched his skin. "Please…- Please just forget I said anything!"

 

"Did you say you love me?" Arin stiffened when Dan gently placed his hand on his shoulder. As he waited for rejection, Dan's hand slid up his neck and held the side of his jaw. "Because I'm _really_ hoping that's what you said."

 

 Arin slowly uncovered his face and he stared at Dan. His heart almost leapt up his throat as Dan's soft gaze fizzed inside him, "Really?"

 

Joy and affection sparked in Dan's hazel eyes as his smile brightened, "I've been wait to hear it since the day we met," He purred with a whisper. "Of _course_ I love you, Arin. Didn't you know that? You never said anything until now, so I thought you didn't feel the same way, but now…"

 

Arin was too overwhelmed to speak. The rising moon glimmered in Dan's warm eyes, making them shine a bright light of silver. Dan inched his face closer to Arin's, until Arin could see every speck of green and brown in his eyes, and gently pressed his mouth against his.

Love and desire burnt inside Arin like a flame, akin to the wave of heat that bounced off Dan. Arin slowly brushed his hand against Dan's stubbly jaw, before holding his closer the by back of his neck. The world faded around Arin, and all he could focus on was Dan. He could only focus on how soft Dan's lips were, and how lulling his quiet moans were. Time slowed down, but at the same time was too fast.

 

Dan eventually pulled himself away, but stopped when he was a few inches away from Arin's face. His unbroken gaze remained on him, although his grin narrowed his sparkling eyes.

 

"I'm so glad I found you again," He whispered, is voice cracking with raw emotion. "I love you, Arin."

 

"I love you too, Dan." Arin purred, his vision blurring. "I'll never leave you again, I promise."

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dan: I lo-
> 
> Dan @ Also Dan: yes, you love Arin, we know, you love Arin Hanson so much, he's the light of your life, you love him so much, you just love Arin, we KNOW , you love Arin you fucking love Arin ok we know, we get it, YOU LOVE ARIN. WE GET IT.

 

 

 

Dan stared down at his magazine, his mind too exhausted to comprehend the words anymore. They simply blurred together, as if he had forgotten how to understand English anymore. He glanced up at the clock on the dirty-grey wall. 12AM. When would his shift end?

He gave out a low groan, his deep voice echoing off the walls of the small filling station where he worked. There was nobody but him inside, and the lights inside were too bright to see if anyone was outside.

He hung his head, trying to focus on his magazine again. Time dragged on sluggishly, to the point Dan was almost certain that it stopped. After the dullest, slowest school break of his life, there was only one more day- tomorrow- until he returned to school.

 

_'When will Arin come back?'_ He wondered, his chest aching with the absence of his boyfriend. _'He's supposed to come home tomorrow, but that day will never come at this rate.'_

 

Arin spent the week visiting his Grandma out of state, and Dan hadn't seen nor heard of him since last Thursday when he missed the entire Friday off school. For all he knew, Arin wasn't coming back at all. His stomach tightened in panic, but he forced himself to push it down, _'That's ridiculous, I would have heard somewhere if Arin died this week… I think…'_

 

Dan sighed, lowering his head and pressing his forehead against the counter. Two weeks since the full moon, the night he could finally tell Arin how he felt, how he fell in love with him from almost the moment they met all those years ago. The scene repeated in his head constantly; The view, Arin's warmth, how his round amber eyes glistened a bright silver in the moonlight, the kiss…

 

_'God, that kiss…'_ The memory of his lips pressed against Arin's melted his heart each time he thought of it. The unbreakable love and burning desire they both shared condensed into a single moment. Nothing compared. No memory made him happier. No memory he could treasure more…

The squeak of the door snapped Dan from his mind, an suddenly he was back at his work place again. He gave a low sigh, before rubbing his stiff, tired face with his hand.

 

"Steven, you're late. You were supposed to take me off 15 minutes-…" He broke off when he looked up. His heart skipped, and his breath jittered in his throat. Arin stood inside, the door slowly closing behind him. He smiled, his narrowed eyes glittering with delight. "Arin, you're back! I was beginning to think you'd never return."

 

Arin padded towards the counter that Dan stood behind. Up close, Arin looked exhausted. His eyes were half-hooded, the edges tinted with a light pink, "You must have been traveling, like, all day."

 

"8 hours by train. And then I had to drop my stuff off at my place." Arin admitted with a tired nod. "I'm just glad to be back."

 

"I'm glad you're home, too." Dan smiled. Arin's eyes shifted slightly, focused on something else. He tipped his head to the side, his brow slightly furrowed

 

"What's that on your cheek?" He asked. Before Dan answered, he lightly ran his hand over the plaster on the edge of his cheek bone. He almost forgot it was there. Arin's eyes shot open. "Have you been in a fight again?"

 

"Just a skirmish, really." Dan said hastily. When he blinked, the fight flashed in front of him; A run-in with Ross last Friday left him with a bloodied cheek, while he gave Ross a few worse injuries to remember, "I didn't really get hurt."

 

Arin slowly blinked, locking his rounded gaze onto Dan. After what could have been years, he nodded, "Alright, at least you're ok."

 

"I'm sorry, Arin." A hot wave of guilt wavered inside Dan as he dropped his gaze away. "I know you don't like it when I get into fights." When Arin was taken-back by his apology, he gave out a wry laugh. "I can tell when you're more worried than you look; I've known you too long to not tell."

 

Arin blinked again, his amber eyes rounded with surprise. Within moments, his face relaxed into a smile of amusement, "I've always found it hard to keep my feelings from you." He purred.

His laughter lifted Dan's heart, _'God, I've missed it so much.'_ He thought to himself, letting Arin's company warm his chest. Before he could speak, however, another man walked into the store. Dan looked up while Arin turned his head around his shoulder, and sighed with relief when the tall man bounced towards the counter.

 

"Sorry I'm late, Dan." The man said, allowing Dan to leave the back of the counter before taking his place. "My car wouldn't start."

 

"Don't worry about it, these things happen." He replied, too happy to care about his co-worker's tardiness. Instead, he turned to Arin, who gazed back at him. "Ready to go?"

 

Arin nodded, his smile brightening, "Let's go."

 

\---

 

The silver moon and orange streetlights blended together, lighting the quiet streets with an eerily tint. Nothing but footsteps broke the silence. It was as if nobody else existed in the World except Dan and Arin. It was perfect.

Dan held Arin's hand in a gentle grip, half-watching the breath from his cold nose rise up as steam, half-watching the quiet street ahead of them.

 

"It's so quiet," Arin said, his voice as soft as a whisper. "It was like this at my Grandma's; she lives in this sweet, little town, and it was so beautiful. Sure, it's a pain for her to get to and from the hospital a lot, but almost everybody there knew each other and were so close. Half of them knew so much about me just by what my Grandma told them."

 

"How is your Grandma?" Dan asked, "I hope she's OK."

 

"Even better." Arin grinned, his eyes glittering with joy. "The Doctors didn't think she'd ever get better, but she's _recovering_. She's getting healthy again, Dan! They think at this rate that she might not have to go to hospital every week by Christmas time."

 

"Arin, that's amazing!" He gasped, relief and happiness stirred inside him for Arin.

 

"I know, right? I was so scared that after everything else that's happened this year, she'd die as well, but…" He gave out a slow, airy sigh, "To hear she might get better… Dan, you have no idea how happy it makes me."

 

"I'm glad, Arin. You deserve to be happy." Dan murmured with a smile, before planting a soft kiss against Arin's shoulder.

 

"I-I'm happy with you, you know that. You have to know that, right?" Arin stammered. Even In the dim lightning, his face flushed bright red, making Dan erupt with laughter.

 

"You're fucking adorable when you blush. I swear love you more each time I see you do it."

 

Arin hid his red face with his hand, muffling a low groan, "I hate you, Dan. Just stop." He laughed, beaming a bright, wide smile. "Besides, you're worse than me; Your smile makes people fall in love from the moment they see it." He removed his hand away from his eyes, and turned his loving gaze onto Dan. "It worked that way for me, anyway."

 

Heat rushed to Dan's face as he swept his gaze onto the ground. A vague noise came from his mouth. He wanted to speak, but his mind blanked out. Arin's warm laughter only warmed him up more, and his smile began to ache with jaw, "God damn, Arin." He purred, his voice still jittery in his throat. "Thank you, for coming back."

 

"Of course I was going to come back, you didn't think I was going to stay away forever, did you?" Arin purred, resting his head against Dan's shoulder.

 

"No, but…" He searched his mind, trying to put how he felt into words. "It's just…"

 

"You're happy I'm back because you missed me?" Arin suggested. "I know, I feel the exact same. You don’t have to explain anything."

 

Emotions welled up in his throat. He knew it was deeper than simply missing Arin. It was deeper for both of them, and Dan still found it hard that anybody as perfect as Arin had any feelings for a boy like Dan. No matter how much Arin insisted, Dan couldn't see himself as brilliant or as handsome as Arin was, but the faith always overwhelmed him. Unable to give anything but a rough purr of love, Dan simply brushed his cheek against Arin's head. His heart almost burst through his chest, and he didn't care. Arin was home. Arin loved him for his flawed self.

 

_'That's all that matters right now…'_

 

"By the way, where are we going?" Arin asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Isn't your house the other way?"

 

"Yes, but… There's something I need to do first." Dan explained, closing his eyes. "I hope you don't mind; I… I had trouble doing it alone last time…"

 

"What do you mean?" Arin lifted his head off Dan's shoulder, his eye narrowed with puzzlement. He turned back to the front, and gasped, "Wait- Is this the park? Are we going to the school building?"

 

The dim streetlights flooded the short, green grass and the metal fence with light. Beyond the few meters in front of Dan, the darkness engulfed the rest of the park. Terror squeezed his stomach. Voices and cries rang in his ears. He shook them away, and slowly padded towards he metal fence, and he grabbed against it with a fierce grip with his free hand.

His heart thumped inside him, his rib cage almost shaking with the impact. Bile rose up from his stomach. He closed his eyes shut as he shivered, his broken breath escaping his clenched jaw.

 

"Dan?" Arin's anxious voice muffled it's way past the other voices. "Are you ok?"

 

Instead of answering, Dan slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, flashbacks of agony and horror screeched at him. He could almost feel the blood running down his face again, along with the battering of his body. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the panic inside him. Everything came back to him; from the burning agony of fractured bones, to Ross' cold, hateful glare staring down at him almost being the last thing he'd ever see. His legs nearly buckled underneath him, but Arin pulled him closer against him for support.

 

"I-I don't want to be scared of this place forever." Dan hoarse throat scraped against his throat. He opened his eyes, but his vision blurred beyond recognition. "I'm trying to get better, but the sight of it just… It brings all the pain back…"

 

"Dan, what are you talking about?" Arin stared into the dark park, and something in his eyes sparked, "Oh… Oh, right…"

 

"He told you, didn't he?" Dan whispered, forcing the words out of his tightened throat. "About the fight in this park?"

 

"Yeah, Ross said you nearly blacked out…"

 

"He tried to kill me." Dan croaked. Ross' vicious snarl hissed in his ear, "If Brian hadn't bowled him away at that very moment, it would have all been over." Dan sub-consciously brushed his hand against his throat. He could still feel Ross' hands crushing him, "Th-The worst part is, I know he's not going to fail next time. He'll make sure of it."

 

"He wouldn't _actually_ try and murder you though, would he?" Arin asked, his voice light with horror.

 

Dan nodded. He stared at Arin, and willed for him to understand, "Didn't you know? He's been wanting revenge ever since I got his dad arrested and when I killed Sam. He promised to get back at me for everything I've done, and I know he won't be satisfied until I'm dead. That's why I can't stand going to school; I try and get through it, but knowing that _he's_ there I just… I just can't be in a place where somebody is _literally_ waiting to kill me." His breath hitched in his throat. "I know he's your friend, but he's _dangerous_. I can't trust him and… I know I'm a terrible, _terrible_ person for saying this, but…" He swung his head and sighed, "I thought you were going to turn against me after he told you what I did. I even thought Barry was going to stab me in the back- _Barry_ , of all people, the nicest person ever- when I found out he was talking to Ross again..."

 

Arin's eyes widened with shock, his mouth half hanging open. Did he not know about Ross' and Barry's history? He pushed the question away, he didn't want to ask,

 

"My point being, as long as I'm here, Ross will do anything he can to see me dead. Oh, I trust you and Barry with my life, and I always will, but _him_ …" Dan closed his eyes and leant his head against the fence, "I don't know what to do…"

 

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Arin asked, pressing close against Dan. "Like, any adults?"

 

"Who would believe me? I'm just a bad kid, according to most people. Brian knows, obviously, and Barry, but… You know…" Dan gave a bitter, dry laugh. "As if anybody would care."

 

"I care about you, Dan." Arin murmured, his dark eyes round with love and understanding. He rested his head against Dan. "I'll do everything I can to protect you, my Love, you're not alone in this."

 

For a long moment, Dan couldn't believe Arin; What could possibly help him now? If he could escape this town he would, but he was smart enough to know how little that would work for more than a few months, and nothing could make him leave Arin again, not even the threat of death.

However, his body slowly warmed up again from Arin's touch, and his shivering mostly stopped. He pressed his head against Arin's, basking in his comforting company. A small smile grew on his lips.

 

"You somehow always know how to make me smile, no matter what mood I'm in." He whispered with a rough purr. Whatever could be done, at least he believed Arin when he said he wasn't alone. To be able to reveal his biggest fear without judgement was like a weight being lifted off him, "Thanks. I love you, Arin."

 

"I love you too, Dan. I promise I always will."

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took like 4 months but it's finaly uplaoded holy fuck

The grounds of the school were lit with the early winter dawn. Few birds broke the chilly silence as students pushed themselves into the tall building.

Arin stood at the edge of the frosted field, staring blankly at his school and the few people he recognised going inside. As he lost his focus, the images of the night before played in front of him; spending the night with Dan, his soft touch warming Arin's skin, giving him the most peaceful night since that fatal car crash.

No memories stirred that night. No sound of shattering glass. No agonising grief. Only the gentle snoring of his boyfriend, and a deep sleep.

 

Arin snapped back to reality when a voice called back to him. He blinked, turning his head, and Dan stood beside him, his eyes still hooded with tiredness.

 

"Are you ok?" He asked with a yawn. Arin nodded, glancing back at the school, "Then we may as well go in."

 

The two walked side-by-side, neither of them noticing the silence in the air, which grew heavier with each step. A strange foreboding choked Arin, only for its grip to tighten when they reached the doors. The noise of chatter hit Arin immediately, almost making him wince. Students gathered in groups at the edge of the walls in the corridors, while some were already sat in their open-door classrooms.

Lockers were slammed open and shut. Younger students were being terrorised by Juniors and Seniors, and Teachers simply strolled passed them, not wanting to get involved.

Arin dropped his gaze onto the dirty floor, and muttered a curse under his breath.

 

_'Why did last night have to end?'_ He thought to himself, desperately blocking out the chaos around him. _'Why did I have to come back_ here? _Why do I have to pretend I don't love Dan, just to save us from getting hurt?'_

 

A delicate touch brushed against Arin's shoulder. He looked up, and for a heartbeat gazed into Dan's hazel eyes. They were glazed with a sadness, as if he knew what Arin was thinking, but could provide no satisfying answers for him. Arin simply shrugged, turning his gaze back to the front. Arin knew why he had to hide his love, and the prejudice and bigotry of those around him swelled his frustration.

Together, Dan and Arin pushed through the crowded corridor, until Dan stopped at a door,

 

"Well, I'll see you later, Arin." He said, his voice strained from how much was being unsaid. "Have… Have fun In class."

 

"You too, Dan." Arin gave him a quick nod, before turning away and continuing down the corridor alone. Claws ripped at Arin's heart, digging into his chest deeper with each step away from Dan. In his mind, they had already hugged and kissed goodbye, whispering sweet affections until they were late to class, but in reality they had barely said a few words to each other.

 

_'One day, we won't have to hide who we are.'_ Arin vowed to himself. He glanced over his shoulder, but Dan was already gone. _'When that day comes, I'll be telling the whole world how much you mean to me, Danny.'_

 

When Arin left the main corridor, the hallways to his first class of the week were quieter. The Art corridor was virtually empty, with only a few students and teachers wondering the hall.

Arin's gaze immediately snapped onto Ross, who stood leaning against a cabinet with his arms gripped tightly across his chest. He watched the space around him, his eyes suddenly narrowing when he saw Arin. Before Arin could call out to him, Ross turned away and marched down the corridor.

 

"Ross?" Arin called, but he didn't stop. Arin followed him, quickening his pace. "Ross, what's wrong?"

 

Ross didn't look back, instead he continued down the silent corridor towards a wide double door that led outside. He slammed through the door, making its hinged squeal with effort. Arin followed him outside, ignoring the bitter bite of the cold. Ross stood with his back towards him, his hands folded and squeezing his chest. This side of the school was more empty than the corridors, and the school field that surrounded the whole school like a moat was carpeted with frost. Arin carefully closed the door behind him, but didn't dare take a step towards his friend.

 

"Hey, Ross." He greeted, unsettled by his anger. "What's wrong?"

 

Ross remained silent for a long moment, to the point Arin wondered if he was even heard. Ross snapped his blue glare around his shoulder,

 

"When were you going to tell me about you and Dan?"

 

Icy cold clutched his body. Arin stood frozen, unable to speak. His breath hitched in his throat as he tried to grab at the situation.

 

"H-… _How?_ "

 

"You're not even going to deny that you broke your promise?" Ross spat, turning around. He didn't wait for an answer before he continued, "I was meeting with Barry in the same park you two were in. I could see you together like a couple, and I couldn't believe it!" His eyes blazed with anger and despair, "Arin, you _promised_ you'd tell me if you were with Dan!"

 

Arin took a step back, swallowing past his dry throat. Ross' despair pierced his chest like a dagger, but his anger brought back Dan's warnings from last night. Arin's wariness returned. Ross' promise of revenge nagged at Arin that night, in that moment unable to differentiate between the loyal best friend he trusted and the cold enemy of Dan. Could he still remain friends with Ross when Arin's own boyfriend was in danger because of him?

 

"Ross, I'm so sorry." He choked out. "I've been meaning to tell you, I swear, but I couldn't because…"

 

"Because I hate Dan, right?" Ross finished, fury slicing through every word. His body shook as he tensed. "Did you think _I_ would hate you too? Didn't you trust me?" When Arin didn't reply, his voice cracked with hurt. "You didn't trust me."

 

" _You're_ the one that wants to kill Dan- Fuck, a lot of people want him dead- How could I keep this relationship anything but a secret, especially from someone who wants to harm him?"

 

"I told _you_ about me and Barry, don't you think we've got the same risks as you and Dan?" Ross argued back, his torso heaving from his heavy breathing. "And before you saying anything else, _Dan_ was the one who hurt me first- I didn't have an issue with him until he killed my best friend!"

 

"It was an accident. Dan didn't mean to kill anyone."

 

"So he says," Ross said, hissing the worlds out like they were venom, "And of course _you_ would believe him. You'd believe anything if you ever think he's so innocent! Did he ever tell you about his drug habit? Or the countless people he's fought until they were bloodied and scarred? Of course that wouldn't matter to you, not if you're turning a blind eye to a sociopathic murderer all the time!"

 

"Stop calling him a murderer!"

 

"He _is_ a murderer!" Ross' snarl exposed his missing canine tooth, knocked out by Dan in a fight a long time ago. His eyes narrowed with a noxious hatred. "And _He's_ the one who made my only remaining parent leave me- My dad is in jail because Dan ratted him out!"

 

"Your father was a drug lord, who _killed_ people!" Arin snapped back, his skin burning with a protective and enraging outrage. "He _should_ be in jail! You want to harm people like he did; can't you see you're turning out just like him?"

 

Ross' eyes flung open as he took a step back. He stiffened with shock, and Arin's stomach churned as he realised what he just said. Shocked by his own cruelty, Arin tried to speak,

 

"N-No, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant-"

 

"You think I'm like my dad?" Ross' whisper was hardly audible over Arin's thumping heartbeat. His face drained of any emotion, apart from a glazed stare. "You think I would … I would _kill_ Dan? Like actually _murder_ him? You think I'm capable of that?"

 

"I… I…" Bile rose up Arin's throat, his mind blank on how he could help the situation. "Dan said you want to kill him, and I know about the time you attacked Brian when-"

 

"You _know_ about that?" Ross blinked, before shaking his head, as if the question didn't matter. "Oh, forget it! I made a mistake- A stupid, angry mistake. If I _really_ wanted to kill Brian, why would I have let him go? I attacked him in a blind rage, and I've regretted it ever since!"

 

"I didn't think of it like that.." Arin murmured, guilt and shame gnawed inside him. He lowered his gaze, and he self-consciously gripped the front of his shirt, "Ross, I'm really sorry-"

 

"No, you're not." The agony in Ross' cracked voice crushed Arin. "I _trusted_ you, Arin. I thought you were my friend…"

 

Arin closed his mouth and swallowed. What could he even say? What would Ross listen to? Ross voice faltered into a whisper as he continued, "I thought you were different, Arin. You're just like everyone else; So fucking judgemental, there was nothing I could do to make you trust me if Dan was around, was there?"

 

Arin snapped his rounded gaze back at Ross, his vision blurred with distress and heartbreak. Ross' words scored Arin's chest like tiger claws, as if his heart would stop beating at any moment.

 

"Just do whatever the fuck you want, Arin. I don't care anymore." Ross' hiss of a whisper echoed through Arin. Without a reply, Ross barged past him towards the door, his lithe shoulders hard with tension.

 

Shock seized Arin frozen as he watched Ross march back down the hallway. Students in front of him practically leapt out the way to avoid colliding with him. When his anger subsided, his heart shattered inside him. He wanted to wail out in pain like a lost child. By being loyal to Dan, he made his closest friend hate him. He clutched the front of his shirt even tighter, furious that Ross wasn't even wrong; Why did Arin not keep his promise and tell Ross about his feelings for Dan, if not because he didn't believe or trust that Ross wouldn't break off their friendship, or worse, hurt Dan over it?

 

_'Once your friendships get mixed up, it only goes downhill from there.'_ Arin recalled Ross' words from the second day they met. That was just over a month ago, yet Arin felt as if he aged years during that time. Was Ross right the whole time? _'No, Ross and Barry are together, and Barry is still friends with Dan… I think.'_

 

"Holy shit, what have I done…?"

 


End file.
